988 – New and Easy to Remember
A new, easy way to access support in a time of crisis is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you or someone you care about is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 now. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Share this number to help link anyone in distress or crisis with a trained counselor who will listen compassionately and provide caring support and crisis resources.
RESOURCES
- Emergency: Call 911 and ask for a CIT Officer
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call, text, or TTY 988
Web Chat: www.988lifeline.org
- Veteran’s Crisis Line: 988 then dial 1
- Ventura County Crisis & Referral Line:
1-866-998-2243
- Substance Use Treatment Access Line:
1-844-385-9200
24/7 • www.VCBH.org - The Trevor Project Lifeline (LGBTQ+ focus):
1-866-488-7386
24/7 • www.thetrevorproject.org
The Juneteenth Celebration, presented by the Juneteenth Committee of Ventura County (JCVC), is taking place on Saturday, June 18 at Plaza Park in Oxnard. This holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
Learn more:
www.juneteenthoxnard.org
Join us for arts and stories in the courtyard – performance, inspiration and community connections.
In person or livestream!
Saturday, June 4th, 2022
11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Oxnard Performing Arts Center
Register now at www.vcbh.org/empower
Join Our Team!
By joining or donating to our VCBH All Stars Team you are contributing to increasing awareness of and raising funds for mental health. United we are stronger and together we can help to build and serve a stronger community.
Please see the link to support our VCBH team.
NAMIWalks Your Way Ventura County
Behavioral Health Continuum of Care Needs Assessment RFP
Date Issued: April 29, 2022
Date Due: June 1, 2022
Notice is hereby given that Ventura County Behavioral Health has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on April 29, 2022 for qualified applicants to solicit proposals to provide a Needs Assessment for the County of Ventura Behavioral Health Continuum of Care.
The RFP, with full instructions, is available through the Ventura County Bonfire system at: County of Ventura - HCA Needs Assessment RFP (bonfirehub.com)
RFP responses are due by Wednesday, June 1, 2022 no later than 5:00 p.m. Completed proposals should be submitted through the Bonfire system.
All information related to this RFP may be directed to the assigned VCBH Contracts Administrator, Curtis Heath, through the Message section of the Bonfire system at: County of Ventura - HCA Needs Assessment RFP (bonfirehub.com)
Substance Use Services Recovery Residences RFP
Date Issued: April 1, 2022
Date Due: May 13, 2022
Notice is hereby given that Ventura County Behavioral Health has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on April 1, 2022 for qualified applicants to solicit proposals to provide Recovery Residence services to adult clients (ages 18+) of the VCBH Substance Use Services Division (SUS), who have been referred through the County, whose recovery efforts would benefit from the support of participating in Recovery Residence services and are engaged in concurrent medically necessary Outpatient Treatment Services, Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services, Recovery Services and/or are receiving Medication for Addiction Treatment services.
The RFP, with full instructions, is available through the Ventura County Bonfire system at: https://ventura.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/61846
RFP responses are due by Friday, May 13, 2022 no later than 5:00 p.m. Completed proposals should be submitted through the Bonfire system.
All information related to this RFP may be directed to the assigned VCBH Contracts Administrator, Barbara Kramer, through the Message section of the Bonfire system at: https://ventura.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/61846
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day - April 30, 2022 – 10AM to 2PM
The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
In Ventura County, more than 200 people die each year from opioid overdoses. Prescription painkiller abuse, rising heroin use, fentanyl and accidental opioid overdoses are part of a nationwide crisis.
Ventura County is actively engaged and committed to preventing prescription drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the County works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), in collaboration with Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), established a countywide Rx disposal program that allows residents to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired Rx medication via secure, confidential disposal bins. Learn the signs of overdose and how to take action. Find Disposal Bin locations near you.
Learn more:
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.
The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma California in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
Women's History Month Theme
The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2022 theme is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." This theme is "both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history."
Learn more:
Women's History Month 2022
A Proclamation on Women’s History Month 2022
Suicide touches us all. Join us to hear personal stories and points of view. Learn about local resources and how to make a difference.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Register:
www.brite.link/conversations
For suicide prevention resources: www.WellnessEveryDay.org
CalHOPE offers free resources for all Californians in need of support relating to COVID-19.
www.calhope.org
We are all excited to return to school, but we may still be nervous about COVID. You’re not alone — CalHOPE is here to help. Connect with CalHOPE by chat or phone.
(833) 317-HOPE (4673)
CalHOPE Connect
CalHOPE Connect offers safe, secure, and culturally sensitive emotional support.
Learn more and chat now: www.calhopeconnect.org
CalHOPE partnered with California Mental Health Services Association which has a statewide experienced workforce comprised of peers, community mental health workers, and other non-licensed personnel. Individuals in need of emotional and/or crisis support can connect via phone, videoconference, smart device, or computer chat. Depending upon needs and situation, family and/or group support sessions are also available.
CalHOPE Warm Line
The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to other people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, depression—emotions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The peer counselors listen with compassion, provide non-judgmental support and guide you to additional resources that can give hope and help them cope.
Learn more: www.calhope.org/pages/current-services.aspx
Call: (833) 317-HOPE (4673)
Together for Wellness Website
Mental Health and Wellness Tips for Today
The CalHOPE Together for Wellness website has easy-to-navigate wellness tools, including stress management and coping skills.
Visit: calhope.semel.ucla.edu
Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community
Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to educate Americans that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life.
Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. This observance reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.
There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. Since these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, Recovery Month provides a vehicle for everyone to celebrate these accomplishments.
The 2021 theme, “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” reminds people in recovery and those who support them that no one is alone in the journey through recovery. Everyone's journey is different, but we are all in this together. Recovery Month will continue to educate others about substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, the effectiveness of treatment and recovery services, and that recovery is possible. All of us, from celebrities and sports figures to our co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family members, throughout our lives have experienced peaks and valleys, both big and small. But with strength, support, and hope from the people we love, we are resilient.
Learn more:
One-Time Non-Competitive and Round 4 Competitive Allocations.
Proposals are due to the County of Ventura by 4:00 pm on September 24, 2021.
Proposals should be submitted via flash drive to:
Ventura County Behavioral Health Department
Attn: Susan White Wood
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
1911 Williams Drive, Suite #200
Oxnard, CA 93036
For more information:
RESET TIME!
The whole country is emerging from a year of COVID. It’s an exciting time of potential and opportunity. It’s perhaps the best time ever to hit the reset button and begin living your best life. But it can also be a scary time of change. Again.
It’s a good time to check in with yourself and your loved ones. The journey of the last year has been difficult for all and extremely difficult for some. Many of us have developed new habits, both good and bad.
Take time to reflect on where you are now and where you’d like to be. Which habits you’d like to continue and grow and which habits you might want to pull back or drop entirely. It’s time to live your best life!
What habits did you develop last year?
- Am I eating more often?
- What kinds of foods am I eating?
- Am I drinking alcohol more?
- Am I exercising? As often?
- Am I spending quality time with my family?
- Am I spending too much time online?
- Am I vaping? More? Around others?
See the campaign PSAs throughout all the DMVs in Ventura County.
Learn more:
www.vcbh.org/habits
www.vcbh.org/habitos
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. And this year, more people than ever before are dealing with emotional challenges associated with the pandemic and the social upheaval experienced across our country. These stressors have amplified the need for public awareness and discussion of mental health as a key component of overall health. So, in conjunction with the national “May is Mental Health Awareness Month”, Ventura County Behavioral Health has launched a new countywide campaign, “I’m Talking About My Mental Health.”
This campaign was developed with de-stigmatization as a critical goal. By showing relatable people facing relatable challenges, reaching out for help and making positive changes in their lifestyles, we make the goal of improved mental health feel approachable and achievable. By personalizing the message – talking about “my” mental health – the campaign allows viewers to see others talking about, thinking about, and working on their mental health and fitness, and demonstrates this as normal and life-affirming behavior.
There are now billboards and posters in the community, public service announcements on the radio, and colleagues inviting discussion by wearing buttons or even using the themed Zoom background.
Please take a minute to get familiar with the campaign, and join us in promoting the discussion of mental health in the weeks ahead.
Learn more:
I’m Talking About My Mental Health
Join us for a United Day of Hope
Our 2021 NAMIWalks event will be a little different than what you might expect from a walk event— while making a lot of difference. It’s going to be “your way,” meaning you choose what you want to do on event day. Our collective mental health needs are at their greatest now. One in three U.S. adults reported experiencing depression or anxiety since the pandemic began. NAMI’s programs and advocacy are needed more than ever, and with your help, we are pleased to present NAMIWalks Your Way on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
What is NAMIWalks Your Way?
On May 22, 2021, NAMIWalks will be a virtually virtual experience, united with NAMIWalks across the country. NAMIWalks Your Way means instead of putting one foot in front of the other, you get to put one feat in front of the other: participants get to use their creativity, with the main rule that we continue to advance towards our goal by leaps and bounds. The choice is yours on how you want to make this spring’s event fit into this spring’s reality.
We will have two team captains from VCBH, Esperanza Mata and Vince Franco.
Join Our Team >
Support Us >
