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Board proclaims May 2025 Mental Health Awareness Month; behavioral health staff and community groups present programs
Summary
The Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation recognizing May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month. County behavioral health staff and community partners presented programs and advocated for stigma reduction, culturally rooted services and integrated behavioral health responses.
The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors on May 13 adopted a proclamation recognizing May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month and heard presentations from Behavioral Health Services and community partners who described programs to reduce stigma and expand culturally competent services.
Dr. Suzanne Tavano read the proclamation text, which described mental-health conditions as treatable and called for community supports including shelter, food and social inclusion. Behavioral Health presenters and peer staff shared personal recovery stories and highlighted community-defined, culturally rooted practices. Jennifer Tuipolotu and Nicole Rogers from the Office for Peer and Family Empowerment spoke about lived-experience peer supports; Rogers described her recovery journey and current work supporting overdose awareness and peer programs.
Behavioral Health staff said the county partners with community organizations to extend evidence-based, community-rooted practices, and invited supervisors to review program slides and crisis resources. Speakers from community groups included Vi, founder/CEO of the Contra Costa Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition, who outlined a community-defined practice project focused on multigenerational healing among refugee and immigrant populations; Miriam Wong of the Latina Center described culturally sensitive services for Latino survivors of domestic violence and mental-health education; and Michael (last name not stated) described clubhouse-style services for adults living with serious mental illness.
Supervisors praised the presentations and cited ongoing county efforts including integrated substance-use and behavioral health services, crisis-response programs and the development of care-court pathways. Supervisor comments highlighted peer support and culturally competent services as priorities.
The proclamation passed as part of the presentations and supervisors invited program representatives to a photo with the board.
