Stanislaus PHF Superhero Party!

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The super heroes of Stanislaus PHF showed their true identities for a fun-filled 50th anniversary party last week.

“The theme was chosen because it reflects how lucky we are to have a dedicated staff who always go above and beyond the call of duty to help our clients in their recovery,” said Talal Alsaleem, administrator of the PHF.

The party consisted of a superhero costume contest, delicious cake, and provided a great opportunity for staff to let loose and be silly around each other.

Thank you to the Stanislaus PHF Superheroes who put the party together and made it truly special!

Villa Fairmont Celebrate with a Multi-Cultural Conga Bash!

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Submitted by Marti Winterhalter
Director of Rehabilitation, Villa Fairmont MHRC

Costumes, and candy, and conga–oh my! Villa Fairmont celebrated Telecare’s 50th with a multi-cultural bash!

We had food from many of the cultures represented by our staff. We feasted on Nigerian, Filipino, Afghan, Indian, Chinese, Mexican cuisines and Down Home Fried Chicken–we topped off our feast with Linda Young’s (RAL)”1 Stop Sweet Shoppe.”

It was a “cultural dress” day as well, and so many of our staff showed off their beautiful cultural costumes. In addition from doctor’s to dietary, we donned wild and wacky garb in our photo booth and finished up the party with a conga line to the Afghan singer Aryana Sayeed “Anar” (Pomegranate)!

Orange County Celebrates Telecare’s 50th!

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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!

Cordilleras and Transitions Celebrate Telecare’s 50th!

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On May 26, Cordilleras & San Mateo Transitions hosted Telecare’s 50th celebration. It was attended by staff from both programs, including leaders with San Mateo County Behavioral Health. Clients in the horticultural group made the plant centerpieces and fun was had by all!

Thank you to all the staff that helped put this special party together!

Telecare at San Diego NAMI Walk!

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and with it comes a slew of NAMI walks all around the country. Staff, members, family, friends, and more all come out for this great event that draws thousands to walk in support of the ones they love. Thank you to the Telecare San Diego team for getting a big group together and supporting a great event that makes a big difference in the communities we serve!

If you have any photos or stories from your local NAMI walk and want to share them on T-Net, send them to the communications team at communications@telecarecorp.com.

If you’re in the Bay Area, don’t forget the Bay Area NAMI Walk is on Saturday, May 30th in Golden Gate Park!

FACT and SB CORE’s Island Getaway!

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Submitted by: Jody Rodriguez
BOM at San Bernardino FACT

Earlier this month, the San Bernardino FACT and CORE programs had their annual staff retreat. Under the leadership of our administrator, Debra Evans, we got to spend the day on Catalina Island. The day started in Newport Beach where we boarded the Catalina Flyer for a quick trip to the island. Once there, we had a team building exercise that was not only fun, but very educational. We completed an adventure quest that took us around the island looking for clues and retrieving answers to a list of questions. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then took a fun submarine ride around the island where we were able to encounter the local marine life and learn more about the beautiful island.

50 Years of Services to People with Serious Mental Illness

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In 2015, Telecare celebrates 50 years of services and supports to people with serious mental illness and complex needs. We started with a single program back in 1965. Today, Telecare has more than 85 programs serving nearly 34,000 people each year. We have grown and evolved over the years, but our purpose has always remained the same: to help people with serious mental illness realize their full potential, and reclaim their health, hopes, and dreams. Learn more about our past, our present, and our hopes for the future in our special 50th anniversary brochure.

Middle School Students Visit With Garfield NBC

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Submitted by: Teresa E. Thomas
Clinical Director of Garfield Neurobehavioral Center

For the past two years, Garfield has partnered with a local middle school in East Oakland to bring in entertainment for the residents. These middle school students read poetry, play piano, sing, show art work and write personalized letters to our residents. Garfield staff speak with the students about healthcare careers and working with people with mental illness.

“Dear all amazing staff members of GNC,

I just want to say thank you all so much for letting me enter your workspace and the resident’s home. The field trip was such a cool and fun thing I never thought I would do. Some things I learned was that people that have disabilities, disorders, illnesses, etc…can be funny like Robert Y, David, etc…they can have fun, and they are super cool people. Another thing I learned was that the residents don’t stay home all day. They get to go out to the A’s game, they’re fed well, they’re taken care of, and they’re cared about by everyone. One thing I loved while we were at GNC, was when I talked to Robert Y. He is a very cool person! Another thing I loved was when David was dancing to a song. I loved it. I will never forget about this amazing and fun trip. This trip is definitely the highlight of middle school. Thank you all again for welcoming me. I loved it!”

Discoveries 5k Together!

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Submitted by Susie Guerra
Administrator of Discoveries

The Discoveries team is involved in many community events throughout the year. A few ago, TLC of Downey, an agency that refers clients to us, was having their annual 5k walk/run, so I suggested we join in (thinking all the staff would laugh). To my surprise, the Discoveries team all signed up, made a banner, and designed a t-shirt! Staff even trained for it, so now we have staff jogging time frequently, and they want to do more 5k’s. One staff member registered for her first 1/2 marathon in October!

Discoveries Open House Success!

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By Susie Guerra, administrator at Discoveries

The Discoveries team brought  families together one night to meet each other and start making some connections and provide support. The team provided a yummy pizza and pasta dinner (and of course, dessert!) and showed the families an inspirational video of three Discoveries-CAPPS staff with lived experience.

This was a huge hit! The families appreciated the staff sharing their stories, and felt comfortable opening up about their own struggles and continuing journey.

We separated the parents after the video so they can continue to share and open up to each other and we had the clients paint or draw a picture of their journey. One client’s picture of mountains and a waterfall was so moving–she explained living with her mental illness is like when she hikes with her mom. She has to struggle up the hills, but once she gets there, it will be pretty.

We then brought everyone back together and gave a certificate to one of our clients that has perfect attendance for his weekly family therapy sessions. This client, ironically, was not going to attend the open house as he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be around others yet, however he showed up! When he received this certificate, his aunt and him were so excited because he had never received an award before.

Due to the feedback on our evaluations we are hoping to now start monthly support groups for our parents as well as our enrolled youth.

SOAR Spirit Week!

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Last month, we had another spirit week here at SOAR complete with a Telecare purple day to commemorate the 50th anniversary. Our spirit leaders, Bisa Peoples and Sheila McClay, also treated us each day with themed food! There is one thing we love to do up here in Sacramento and that is EAT! They kept us fueled up and ready to support our members in a upbeat and positive way. We always encourage our members to participate in the themes each day and this time we had a few join in on the fun. Every member of the SOAR team is a super hero every day but one day this week they dressed up to show their true colors. Thanks again to Sheila and Bisa for their culinary and planning support for yet another successful and fun spirit week!

Submitted by Kezzia Bullen, Clinical Director at SOAR

50th Celebrations Continue!

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Thank you to all who have been sending us fun photos from your programs! We love to see how you’re celebrating Telecare’s 50 years. If you haven’t sent one in yet, snap a picture of yourself & coworkers with the 50th anniversary banner and send an email to communications@telecarecorp.com!

Jeremy House

Ready to Celebrate, part 2!

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We are LOVING all of the photos being sent to us of smiling faces and 50th banners!

Show us how you and your program are celebrating Telecare’s 50th year by emailing photos to communications@telecarecorp.com and we’ll share them on T-Net!

Orange County WIT

San Diego Pathways to Recovery

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, SOAR!

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We recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary as a program. There are several staff members that have been with us since start-up and the rest feel as though they have. We are a huge family up here in Sacramento that loves to have fun, so to celebrate our anniversary we competed in a scavenger hunt around downtown Sacramento that ended at Pizza Rock where we feasted, talked, laughed and some of us bragged about our hunting skills. The day was nearly ruined by inclement weather (storm of the century level winds and rain), but someone wanted us to have some fun and the rain and wind stopped for just long enough for the scavenger hunt to happen.

Submitted by Kezzia Bullen, Clinical Director @ SOAR

Telecare Longevity Celebrations!

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The first annual Telecare Longevity Celebrations were held on March 12 (The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA) and on March 18 (The Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA). We were so proud to be able to honor those staff celebrating tenures of 20 years and over. Each evening was special in its own way, with honored Telecare staff accompanied by their loved ones and managers. The evening included a cocktail hour, a seated dinner, presentations by Anne Bakar and leadership, and dancing! Everyone had a wonderful time. We are looking forward to next year when we’ll celebrate those staff having 20, 25, 30, and 35 years (as of 6/30/15).

Welcome to Telecare's 50th Anniversary!

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Hurray, we’re 50! What next?

This year is going to be full of fun activities and celebrations of our 50 years as an organization. Every month on T-Net, we’re going to let you know whats cooking behind the scenes so you know whats coming (unless it’s a surprise, then you’ll have to sit tight!). To kick off the celebrations we have a short message to share from Anne:

January

This month, we’re asking you to:

  • Take a moment to celebrate the wonderful work we do as an organization.
  • Say thank you to clients, to customers, and to coworkers.
  • We’d love to start capturing pictures of you guys as we begin this special year! If you can, send us photos of your team(s), so we can post them on T-Net and celebrate together! Send images to lharte@telecarecorp.com

Mission of Excellence and Year in Review

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Each year, we summarize our progress and achievements and share those results with staff and clients in our Mission of Excellence report and yearly Telecare video.

Because 2015 marks Telecare’s 50th anniversary, we decided to do the year-end video a little differently. This year, we spoke with Telecare’s senior leaders and listened to their personal connections to our mission, and what their hopes are for the future of Telecare.

Now we’re hoping to hear from you. What is your inspiration for doing the work you do? Is it the people you work with? The clients we serve? Post a comment below or send your stories to communications@telecarecorp.com.

Copies of the video and our Mission of Excellence will be mailed to your program for distribution in the upcoming weeks.

Thank you for another strong year and here’s to 2015!