THE LOOP
WestCare Family,
Welcome to WestCare California’s monthly newsletter, The Loop! As the fall season arrives, it brings along a rich tapestry of annual events that we are delighted to participate in. From Recovery Happens at the State Capitol, Central Valley Veterans’ Stand Down and Women Veterans Stand Up, to the Central California Women's Conference, and Community Partners 4 Recovery’s (CP4R) SoberStock XVIII, all the way to diverse volunteer and career fairs, this season marks a pivotal time for outreach Whether you have recently joined our staff, engaged with our outreach teams at these remarkable events, or are just discovering our organization, this fall holds great significance.
With this in mind, we would like to take a moment to introduce you to WestCare California. As a behavioral health and human services entity, we operate across more than 38 of California’s 58 counties, spanning areas such as Mental Health & Wellness, Treatment & Rehabilitation, Veterans Services, Criminal Justice, Housing Opportunities, and Education & Prevention. Our journey began in 1974 as The Third Floor, a 48-bed residential treatment facility in Fresno, CA. Over time, we became a part of the WestCare Foundation family, which now operates in 16 states, four U.S. territories, and two republics. Since our inception, our scope has evolved to encompass a diverse array of services. Today, we proudly offer over 50 programs across 25 facilities, spanning from San Diego up to Chico.
Over the past year, we added additional programming, including the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Hope & Wellness Program (SSG Fox), made possible through grant funding from the Veterans Administration (VA). Through this program, our San Joaquin Valley Veterans (SJVV) team provides assessments, case management, group meetings, life skills classes, family support, and connections to other community services for military personnel, Veterans, and their families in Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin Counties. Expanding our Treatment & Rehabilitation domain, we added a men’s recovery residence in Bakersfield, complementing the transitional housing needs of men who have completed long-term residential programs and are now enrolled in outpatient treatment.
At the heart of our work lies the motto of Uplifting the Human Spirit, a mission made possible by our exceptional staff Through this issue, we hope you gain a deeper understanding of the wide range of lifeskills services we are privileged to provide.
Thank you and take care,
Vice President of Administration WestCare California Inc.
Donation Wishlist:
The Learning Center is currently seeking donations of:
Butcher paper (various colors)
Birthday bags and wrapping paper
Unwrapped presents for the children’s birthdays (Action figures, Barbies, Playdough, Hot Wheels, etc.)
Puffy paint Dotter tools
The Learning Center at MLK Residential provides a caring, safe, and structured environment for clients who have children twelve years of age and younger and who are in a treatment program at MLK Residential. We offer three specialized rooms for the parents and children that we work with:
Infant room (for babies up to 12 months): focus is on activities like "tummy time," fine motor skills, and fostering overall healthy development.
Toddler room (ages 1 to 3): engage children in exciting activities centered around themes. This includes enhancing gross motor skills and introducing concepts like shapes, colors, and letters. Additionally, children will have the chance to unleash their creativity through arts, crafts, and sensory play.
Preschool/school-age room (ages 4 and up): a dynamic space where our staff weekly lesson plans on diverse themes. Each preschooler receives a personalized with assignments to boost their letter, number, and writing skills. But it is not always work, work. We also encourage arts, crafts, science experiments, and offer a delightful playground for plenty of active playtime.
Little Tikes Story Dream Machine Starter Set
donation, please by send an
Kudos: Ebonia King, Childcare Worker I, The Learning Center
"I would like to give a shout out to our our Childcare Worker I, Ebonia King. Ebonia is very creative and engaging with our children served. She is caring and is always willing to go the extra mile for our littles ones. She goes above and beyond to uplifting the children’s spirits." - Melissa Capece, Child Development Specialist, MLK Residential
June CORE Recipient: Jeffrey Arens, Maintenance Tech
Congratulations to Mr. Jeffery Arens for receiving a CORE (Characteristics
Of Remarkable Employees) award during the month of June! He embodied the CORE trait of being a Problem Solver in our Maintenance Department. Amazing job, Jeffrey! Our WestCare Family is proud of your hard work.
French Heritage Month
On July 21, our Youth & Family TREE and Adolescent Services programs recognized French Heritage Month with a team building activity and French-inspired cuisine. Team members participated in a game of trivia which tested their knowledge on French contributions in the United States as well as the recent observances of Juneteenth and Independence Day. They also enjoyed a variety of yummy sweets which included pastries, macaroons, and crêpes!
A Learning Center Success Story Featuring Sara
Sara came to WestCare in 2016 after losing her job and quitting nursing school. She has now been sober for seven years. During her time with us she was pregnant and her daughter, Autumn, was with her and received care from The Learning Center. While in the program, Sara would come into the Learning Center and work on therapeutic bonding. Sara became a staff at our facility in June of 2022. She started out as a Counselor Tech and has transitioned into becoming a facilitator for our women’s unit. She is currently working on her nursing license.
2023 Christmas in July
In late July, our marketing team teamed up with our Deputy Administrator, Dayatra Latin, to attend the Christmas in July Block Party, a resource fair and backpack/school supply giveaway presented by the Fresno Airport District! We had over 80 visitors throughout the event and were proud to share about all of our services offered while also supporting local families!
A Program Update on OUR WestCare MATTERS
By Herbert A Cruz, M.D., Medical Director, WestCare California
MATTERS this
speak to the strength of holding open house events, but it speaks to the importance of the need for programs like ours in the community. Many of our clients are fentanyl users and as of today, we are on track to exceed 100 patients (100% of our projected grant allocation) and more importantly, we are saving lives.
As a reminder, to access services, the client or the referring person/agency may call (559) 712-7182. We will perform a telephone screening and schedule an intake on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday to integrate the client into treatment services that can include buprenorphine, naltrexone, Vivitrol, or Sublocade.
We plan on having a second open house specific for law enforcement, first responders, and community prescribers in late August/early September, so please stay tuned!
Our team consists of:
Jeannette Sawyers, Nurse Practitioner
Drew Barnett, SUCC I, Counselor
Vartanush Mesropyan, CNA
Rosa Perez, Research Assistance
Herbert A. Cruz, M.D., Medical Director
Earlier this month, our Vice President, Jenny Gonzalez, and Deputy Administrator, Robert Church, were in Rockville, MD to attend the SUD Youth Summit hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) where they learned more about collaborative strategies for prevention and treatment of youth substance misuse! Thank you both for not only representing our programs and services, but remaining dedicated to helping ensure that we are only providing the best care possible for the youth that we serve!
chool FLIGHT at Urban Air Trampoline Park
We were pleased to see a great turnout of Youth & Family TREE alumni who attended their recent Back to School FLIGHT event with their families at the Urban Air Trampoline Park in Hanford! The Family TREE team got to know the family members of a client who traveled from Tulare with his girlfriend and their six-month-old baby. One mother, aunt, and grandmother drove from Avenal with a carload of clients and family, and then went to Lemoore to pick up more clients and their families! As a team, they enjoyed seeing their clients sober as they participated in all of the fun activities at the Urban Air Trampoline Park with their loved ones.
Drag Queen BINGO Returns in Support of The Fresno AIDS Walk!
A long-time lead-up event to our annual Fresno AIDS Walk, Drag Queen BINGO returned earlier this month to once again raise funds on behalf of the event and its cause, The Living Room! The night of BINGO and fun was held with an enthusiastic club full of supporters at Splash Fresno. At the end of the night, over $1,900 was raised in support of the walk! In addition to games of BINGO, live drag performances featured Ego Dahling and Rosio De La Rosa as well as longtime supporter of The Living Room and emcee for the night, Mizz Stolengoodz! On behalf of our staff and those that we proudly serve, we’d like to send our most heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Drag Queen BINGO a success! From the talented queens that performed to our amazing emcee, everyone that attended to show their support, anyone who helped put the event together, and the wonderful staff at Splash - thank you so much for helping make this event so special! For more information on this year’s Fresno AIDS Walk to be held on Saturday, October 14 at Woodward Park’s Parkview Shelter and to register, donate, or volunteer, please visit www.fresnoaidswalk.org
