Recovery at the Santa Ana Riverbed

Bringing our recovery model to life: Telecare partners with Orange County Health Care Agency in helping the homeless relocate from the Santa Ana Riverbed.

In Orange County, 30 Telecare staff members showed up to help the county’s Health Care Agency provide clinical assessments to more than 700 individuals experiencing homelessness who were being transitioned from the Santa Ana Riverbed to motels throughout the county.

“We were proud to be able to respond to their call,” said Ed Bienkowski, Telecare’s Regional Director of Operations in Orange County. “I got a request on Saturday night over President’s Day weekend to see if we had anyone available to assess the mental health needs of people being moved the next week. I texted our administrators, and within an hour they all got back to me with staff lined up to help.”

That Sunday and Monday, staff members and interns from Telecare’s TAO, TAO South, STEPS, and Orange County AOT programs came with their cars and trucks to assist the county with moving belongings and providing clinical assessments.

"I was there to offer compassion and support for those who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of getting into a motel," said Jyoti Gustafson, Personal Service Coordinator (PSC) II at Orange County AOT. "Some had jobs, some had pets and family, others had not been homeless for long and just needed a place to regroup. They were people in their community who would benefit from linkage to a variety of resources. By us being there on a united front with the county and interacting with those who needed placement, we may be a familiar face down the line if that person is ever referred to our program or in need of services."

"Going to the riverbed was a reminder of why it is so important to do what we do every day," said Angela Pierce, PSC II at TAO South. "It was a humbling experience and a great reminder of the cultural diversity of both our members and Orange County in general, and the need to provide resources and the support to allow people to have fulfilling lives. It was also a reminder to be mindful of each other's uniquenesses and to be present when engaging with individuals—comforting people when they express sadness, celebrating people when they achieve their goals. We were able to show people we are there to support as best we could, even if it was just to ease the stress, anxiety, fear, or whatever they were experiencing at the time."

We are grateful to have such a committed team of Telecare staff members who respond with great heart to help others in times of need. We are honored to be a helpful resource to our customers and in our local communities.

STEPS Orange County’s Vision Boards

This month, 17 members from our STEPS Orange County attended a Recovery-Centered Clinical System (RCCS) group where they created "vision boards." The activity was based on the RCCS conversation worksheet they received on "Awakening Hope."

The RCCS has five conversation areas that staff can utilize to engage with clients.

We believe that hopes and dreams fuel an individual's recovery journey. Our role is to partner with clients and have conversations that "awaken" and grow one's belief in a meaningful future and the believe in that possibility. 

The boards were made with the hope of inspiring members to focus on the goals they would like to achieve, and visualize the hopes and dreams for they have for themselves. 

Orange County STEPS Explores Culture

Members at Telecare's Orange County STEPS program in Santa Ana, CA, requested a new group regarding cultural exploration and awareness. 

To help create the group, STEPS staff asked members to find cultures they are interested in learning about, and choose one to explore each month. With each culture, staff will share with members its history, traditions, arts and crafts, and invite members to share their own stories if they identify with the chosen culture. 

This week, staff and members created worry dolls, which originated in Latin America. The members enjoyed learning about the tradition as well as how they could be used as a coping skill.

STEPS Orange County Spruces Up Santa Ana

Three staff members and 17 members from the STEPS Orange County participated in the Love Santa Ana Initiative Day of Community Beautification event on Saturday, April 8.

The volunteer event aimed to improve and transform the Casa Bonita and Bella Vista neighborhoods through service activities such as painting fences, murals, gardening, planting trees, removing graffiti, and picking up trash.

One STEPS member enjoyed the painting so much, he said he would like to look for a job as a house painter now that he knows how much he likes it, while another member said she felt a sense of importance from helping others. Staff member Nhi Thai was even interviewed by a local TV news channel about the day's events.

Once the volunteering was done, the group got to partake in resource fair activities, which included music, games, and other fun festivities.

Great work, team STEPS Orange County!

Court-Ordered Care: One Man's Journey from Program Member to Staff Member

Thurman Williams (left) is handed a graduation certificate for completing the Assisted Intervention program from Judge Joe T. Perez (right).

Graduation is a time for celebration and new beginnings. What better new beginning can come from a graduation than a slate wiped clean, a criminal record expunged? That’s what happened when Judge Joe T. Perez of the Superior Court of Orange County handed a graduation certificate to Thurman Williams. He had just completed one of the first court-ordered Assisted Intervention (AI) programs in California, which operates out of Telecare STEPS in Santa Ana.

“For me, graduation was emotional because you accomplish something that's very difficult,” said Thurman. “It’s also kind of bittersweet because you are part of a family. You go to the program every day or once a week for twenty-five months, and now I don’t have to. It was kind of strange to just go, ‘I can do whatever I want.’”

The “whatever I want” part was going back to his place of employment—Telecare TAO and TAO South. Thurman was offered a job at Telecare during Phase III of the AI program after his peer mentoring skills were recognized while going through program. He was asked to give a speech at Telecare’s 50th Anniversary party in Orange County, and was offered a job as a Wellness Center Coordinator shortly after.

“The fact that I worked for Telecare while going through an assisted intervention program—that has never, ever been done before. I didn’t even really think about becoming involved in mental health at that time,” said Thurman, who had a successful baseball career both playing for the San Francisco Giants and then continued as a coach for future major league players. “I knew I was going to always advocate for mental health afterword. I was always going to do something, but I didn’t know it would turn into this.”

Now, Thurman is a PSC I and runs groups for other members in court-ordered treatment.

“It's just basically me, as somebody who's gone through the program, kind of giving advice on how I navigated through it, and how to avoid backtracking,” said Thurman. “I want to do this. I wasn’t sure, but it’s where I need to be. This is how I had to come full circle. This is where I’m supposed to end up, I think.”

Orange County STEPS COEG Success!

Telecare's 105-member, Full Service Partnership (FSP), Orange County STEPS, recently celebrated their first completion of the Co-Occurring Education Group (COEG) program. The group had a total of 51 members who attend one or more of the classes, and 15 graduates!

The graduates were given certificates for completing the program and were treated to a lunch where pizza and cake were served.

To graduate, participants had to have attended all 16 weeks of the COEG program. Each session covers a different topic of discussion: from understanding addiction, to recognizing triggers, to reflecting on one's hopes and goals. The groups are open, so new participants can join a group at any time. The flexible drop-in format, and the resources and tools that are provided at the end of each group, are meant to encourage participants to take ownership over the decisions they make about their health choices.

Congratulations to STEPS' first successful group of participants, and the staff that worked so hard to make it happen! 

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Orange County Celebrates Telecare’s 50th!

Orange County program’s came together for one festive 50th anniversary party earlier in June. STEPS and AOT staff attended a party with Telecare leadership, county service chiefs from their respective program types, and Mark Refowitz, agency director for Orange County Health Care Authority, who had some very kind words about Telecare.

Party planners added some fun by affixing trivia about 1965 to their 50th balloons, and guests were treated to some entertainment from a member playing acoustic guitar and singing. The party also included a touching speech from a staff member and member–and let’s not forget about the 50th anniversary cupcakes!

Thank you to the staff and guests that helped make this party fantastic!

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