Prevention and Early Intervention in San Joaquin County, CA
/Telecare Early Intervention and Recovery Program (TEIR)
On September 21, 2015, Telecare opened a new program in San Joaquin County, CA: Telecare Early Intervention and Recovery Services (TEIR). Opened in partnership with San Joaquin County Behavioral Health and Mental Health Services (SJCBH), the new program provides outreach, early intervention, and support to young adults and their families across the county. In addition to TEIR, Telecare also operates the Jeremy House Crisis Residential program on behalf of the County. Both programs are located in Stockton, CA.
To kick off the new program, Jeremy House residents and staff hosted a community BBQ for potential TEIR clients coming from the previous provider, as well as our community partners at SJCBH and local community partners. “The BBQ went very well,” said Jeremy House Administrator Raksmey Castleman. “The previous participants had fun and they felt like they were already a part of the Telecare family.”
"We are honored to be extending our recovery-oriented services in San Joaquin County and truly appreciated that several of our SJCBH partners joined us at our recent BBQ,” said Jennifer Hinkel, VP of Development at Telecare Corporation. “The program is already off to a good start and we just cannot wait to see it grow."
Raksmey and TEIR’s new Clinical Director, Joelle Stallsmith, have been working hard to launch the new program. "Joelle is doing a great job leading the team in strategizing a plan for outreach. I really like her energy," Raksmey said. "When you work with 16-25 year olds, you have to have a lot of energy to be able to go all out and do whatever it takes." TEIR’s first major outreach event to the entire community will take place during the second week of October.
Clients are welcomed to the Telecare Early Intervention and Recovery Program (TEIR) BBQ on Friday, September 11, 2015.
(L-R) Jennifer Hinkel, Vice President of Development, Telecare; Cindy Morishige, Deputy Director Adults/Older Adults SJCBH; Raksmey Castleman, Jeremy House Administrator, Telecare; Dennis Dow, Director of Start Up, Telecare; Tosh Saruwatari, NAMI member and community advocate; Joelle Stallsmith, TEIR Program/Clinical Director, Telecare, at the TEIR Community BBQ on September 11, 2015.
(L-R) Jeremy House staff: Thuy Huyhn, LPT; Melissa Planas, Clinician; Jessica Reiland, Residential Counselor/Peer Specialist; Gayle Henderson, Residential Counselor; Olivia Mattus, Residential Counselor, at the TEIR Community BBQ on September 11, 2015.
TEIR staff at the at the TEIR Community BBQ on September 11, 2015.
TEIR staff doing team building exercises at the TEIR Community BBQ on September 11, 2015.
Doing work with recovery in mind is something that is very dear to Raksmey, who was born and raised in a Thai refugee camp. It was a traumatizing environment, where people lost everything — including, sometimes, their mental health. This experience inspired Raksmey to pursue a life where she could be of service to others.
Many years later, Raksmey came to work at Telecare — and one day, purely by chance, she had a conversation with Dr. Harvey Segalove, Telecare's Chief Medical Officer, who asked about her experiences in that refugee camp as a child.
By amazing coincidence, Dr. Segalove had also been a volunteer in that exact same camp in 1989. He had gone to the camp to provide mental health services. Although Raksmey and Dr. Segalove did not meet at that time, it was a remarkable reminder of the mystery of life.
"It's amazing how our paths crossed in such a miraculous way," Raksmey said. "Talking to Dr. Segalove that day brought back so many memories. It's people like him — who took the time from their comfortable environment to care for and serve those who had lost everything from the war and genocide, including their minds — who made such a difference. Their 'heart work' brought back hopes and dreams. Their compassion and passion inspired a then-young child like me to dream."
Today, Raksmey is carrying that dream forward through her work at Jeremy House and the TEIR program. "Life is incredible and you never know where your journey will take you and who you will meet," she said. "My dream of helping others came true because I get to do what I love and pay it forward for the gift of a second chance in life."
