Transcripts For SFGTV Port Commission 20240712 : vimarsana.c

Association of San Francisco, and i would say that i well, i identify as an alcoholic and an addict. Ive been clean and sober for around 25 years, through 12step recovery, but im also very familiar with the principles of Harm Reduction and the the value of that. Im not somebody thats going to try to, you know, i dont know, foist a 12step recovery on somebody thats not ready or not interested in it, and i also identify with Mental Health challenges. Id say for my whole life im in my early 60s now, and its taken me that long to realize how my Mental Health and substance issues have impacted my life. I got clean and sober, didnt really address my Mental Health issues very well, so even though i was clean and sober, i would continue to still have issues and problems. And its only in the last, say, six, seven, or eight years that ive found Mental Health recovery thats been consistent. I believe in peer recovery, and the idea that a 12step recovery to me is about one alcoholic or an addict helping another. Mental Health Recovery or peer recovery is one addict or alcoholic providing a model of help for another. I think the idea of having universal access to Mental Health care is so important, and that a lot of our services now exist ive you know, ive heard the expression exist in silos, and i think thats true. I think we need to have a comprehensive service so we can best address how to serve our community. I look forward to it, and yeah, if theres any questions at this time, im happy to entertain them, and i thank you for the opportunity, supervisors ronen, stefani, and mar. Thank you so much. Chair ronen thank you so much. We really, really appreciate everything you had to say, and you applying to this position. Is there any questions for mr. Murphy . Nope . Thanks. Thanks again for being here. Clerk mr. Murphy, can i ask that you turnoff your camera, as its been on during most of the meeting. Oh, sorry. Chair ronen no problem. Next, well hear from phyllis jones. Hi, he have beeverybody. I just want to say thank you for this opportunity, and im really filled with gratitude, and it really helps the work that im doing to be in a position to be able to give back. So for my personal experience, i am a young person of color. I just recently aged out of the t. A. Y. System. I identify as African American and latinx. I spent my youth in and out of jail, Mental Health treatment facilities, and addiction facilities. I am formerly an i. V. Drug user, and i currently have five years of sobriety, so i directly relate to the populations that we will be trying to make an impact with in this position, and in the last recent years, i have overcome those things myself, and i hope to bring that perspective to this position. In my professional life, i have become rather successful. I am a student at San Francisco state studying in the social work program. I also am a willie brown fellow, interning with h. S. H. My current role, i am a case manager for jail services, working with populations that are affected by drug abuse, have cooccurring disorders, homelessness, and are trying to navigate the criminal Justice System. Before this role, i worked for ucsf doing very similar work. I worked at a drop in center at 850 bryant, and i once again worked with those populations. So personally, for me, i have dedicated my life and the greater part of my 20s so far to apply what i have learned and make an impact on people who are like me and going through similar situations. I hope that young people can see some of them in me, and it gives them hope and inspiration to per severe over what they are persevere over what they are going through. As a person of color and someone who experienced what i did early in my life, i offer a unique perspective and needed perspective to this position. I just want to thank you. All of the applicants have been amazing thus far, so im glad that we have some really good choices, whether its me or someone else, to make choices in San Francisco and all the communities that have been looked over. Thank you so much. Chair ronen thank you so much. You all are creating an impossible choice right now, but thank you for applying with your wealth of experience and understanding. Any questions . If not, thank you so much for much here and for applying for the seat. We really appreciate you. Thank you, guys. Chair ronen next, we will hear from charles ryan. Charles ryan . Not here, and i will give him another chance at the end. And next, well hear from kara chen. Good morning, supervisors. Chair ronen good morning. My name is kara chen. Chair ronen hello. I am a deputy public defender. Ive been working as a public defender for 30 years, and i am currently the managing important for the San Francisco Mental Health unit. Its an honor to advocate for miselfamongst the group myself amongst the group, and i think all of the applicants are so impressive. I serve as a member on the San Francisco Mental Health board, now its known as San Francisco Behavioral Health commission from 2012 to 2017, and from 2015 and 2017, i was the chair for the San Francisco Mental Health board. And also, i i serve on the jail reenvision jail replacement work group, and i also serve on the a. O. T. , assisted Outpatient Treatment Program on the implementation group. And currently, i am also working serve on the San Francisco sfpd crisis intervention work group with the community provider. And also, i cochair a work group from my thats work related, which is transitioning clients in jail, in custody, and inpatient from the acute facility or in jail into treatment. And i think, based on my work, i realize that the importance of participating in Mental Health sf in order to make sure that services and availability of services to be delivered to our clients and consumers in a dignified way, and i think that my Knowledge Base and my problemsolving skills will be enable me to serve the client population in a in an effective way. So i thank you for your consideration, and and i think this is a great opportunity to participate because i think if sf San Francisco, if we implement it in a way that is effective, i think we could be the model for the rest of the nation. So thank you very much for your time. Chair ronen thank you so much, miss chien. I just want to take a moment to thank you for all that you do. You are such an expert in the field in so many ways. Just feel so grateful for all of your works. Thank you. Chair ronen lets see. Who is next . Kate franza. She could not be present, but she sent an email, so thank you so much. Steve fields, are you here with us today . [inaudible] chair ronen we cant hear you, steve. Are you on mute . Not anymore, i hope. Chair ronen nope, now we can hear you. Good morning, supervisors. Its an opportunity to say a large thank you, supervisor ronen, for being a part of the leadership on getting this essential reform moving right at a time when its needed most, and the board of supervisors that supported the measure by 100 . Its this is an opportunity that working with the Mayors Office and the board may not come around again, and so im excited about this. [please stand by] whats been exciting in any career to get a chance to do programs that are based on the kinds of principles that i believe have to be core to the Mental Health if its going to be successful. I think the biggest challenge facing all Behavioral Health systems is the problem over recidivism. We have never seriously confronted that we have a cycling population of individuals who going into acute care, coming back to a community where there isnt adequate treatment, follow through and a dedication to recovery being a possible outcome if we build a continuum of care in the community. Were reliant inpatient. We have not made the deal we need to make to actually commit to a communitybased system of care. No jurisdiction has try to put together this effort on a policy level. No other jurisdiction has the wealth of agencies and services and providers that we have. If we just find a way to Work Together with a common vision of our outcome, we can attack recidivism and seriously change the course of what it means to a young person today who comes into an emergency room with a dual diagnosis problem that they need to have treated. I want to be in this from the beginning because ive been in it from the beginning. I bring to this group an experience of what it takes to stand up a program. What it takes to find the funding for a program, to leverage other resources. I have worked in the system of care my whole career and my dedication is to try to find ways to avoid the mistakest mistakes we made for decades to leverage the politics and the strategy and the resources for developing full articulated Community Treatment system of care, from the inside. Thats what im excited about working with the people i heard so far this morning this is really an opportunity. I dont want to miss it. I want to be in with this group working on solutions. Thank you. Any questions, id be happy to answer. Chair ronen i want to thank you so much. I started my 53rd year. Chair ronen thats incredible. Thank you so much. Very much appreciate you. I dont think theres any question. But thanks so much for being here today and for applying. Really appreciate it. Thank you supervisors. Chair ronen i understand that vitka eisen withdrew her application. Well skip over her. Next well hear from Monique Lesarre. Can you hear me . Chair ronen yes. We can hear you. Good morning. Thank you all so much. Im going to read my comments because theres so much that i can respond to. Good morning supervisors ronen, mar and stefani. Im deeply grateful to be part of this conversation today. It is my honor to apply for the seat 6, 7 and 8. I had sleepless nights dealing with Behavioral Health department in San Francisco, specifically around [indiscernible]. My frustration is lack of community that has been shown. Im excited to work as a team to engage Mental Health, substance and the community. As a longterm africanamerican resident of San Francisco i worked on equity for all people. Im the daughter of two parents that were impacted by Mental Health, ptsd, depression, anxiety and Substance Abuse, addiction, trauma, violence. As a survivor myself of trauma, i have dedicated my life to working to understand what my parents and family and went through and understand how to support and provide safety to people of healing. I work everyday to provide more resources for our community. I have my doctorate and masters degree in clinical psychology. My specific focus is on africanamerican Mental Health and wellness, especially intergenerational trauma and healing. In addition to my main job, where our mission is to eliminate health in black and marginalized communities. I worked as a clinician with moms and children and day treatment and psychological services. I worked as a director of children youth and Family Services and as a Mental Health Services Director at california mental studies. I continue to be a tireless advocate in the San Francisco and bay area that actually serves the community effectively with chair and excellence. My engagement has been a volunteer on projects for the community as a volunteerled [indiscernible] i volunteer regularly mentoring healings for communities. I thank you for your time and consideration. I agree with mr. Jones, theres been amazing applicants. We must find a way to address recidivism. I really want to be part of the solution. Thank you so much and if you have any questions, im here. Otherwise, thank you, amazing applicant and thank you so much. Chair ronen thank you so much for all your inspiration. Thank you for being here and applying. I dont think theres any questions. Next we will hear from aggie quinn. Aggie quinn is not here. I will call one more time to make sure. Next we will hear from Andrea Salinas. Good morning madam chair and supervisors. I will be honored to serve on seat 7. Im a clinical social worker. We are the largest contract partner with d. P. H. Providing services to 1200 individuals across our program. Our clients has severe Mental Illness, many use substance, have complicated medical needs and are diverse. We are also the Mental Health provider with program dedicated to serving the mentally ill. We also provide Substance Abuse treatment through our staff program. Up until the pandemic, we had a lively social Opening Monday through friday. I serve as the supervisor to our lgbtq focus team and oldest program, Community Focused Case Management. We are organized and culturally focused Team Including our africanamerican focused team and latinx and korean focused team. We meet our clients where they are at honoring their particular experiences. I have been working as a case manager in San Francisco for over 20 years. I always worked predominantly person of color. Over the years i developed expertise working with latino population. Im aware of the unique needs [indiscernible] thank you. Chair ronen thank you so much for all your work and applying for the seat. Really appreciate it. I dont believe theres any questions. Now asking for kathleen johnsonsilk. Is she present . Good morning. Thank you, madam chair and supervisors. Thank you for the opportunity to participate today amongst such an Incredible Group of applicants. My name is kathleen johnsonsilk. I was born and raised in San Francisco. Im a family therapist with focused on trauma and care. Im applying for seat 7. I worked for 17 years with people in criminal system in diverse capacity. Serving the Behavioral Health safety net and Community Organizing and prison rights litigation. I currently oversee 450 treatment beds in San Francisco and up until march, had the distinguished honor of spearheading the implementation of the Meth Task Force recommended Drug Sobering Center in district 6. I see Mental Health sf has a tremendous opportunity to improve the system. One major problem is that the public behavioral Health Treatment can perpetuate trauma and depression of the criminal system. This can happen without intention or awareness but it does happen as treatment can emulate and sustain damaging elements of the criminal system. I oversee treatment and Supportive Housing for people coming hope home after serving life sentences. Things like the behavioral surveillance, stigmatizing terminology can trigger lack of control, reinforced dependence and loss of identity which recalls the ways of feeling and being they experienced. Treatment is all too often another part of the poverty and incarceration cycle. Mental health sf is an opportunity to address the systematic fault. I see an obligation to overhaul Healthcare System to be less racist. As we move into a future where we are able to envision ways in which Police Departments can and should be defunded, how jail and prisons can quickly reduce populations instead continuing to overcrowd to deadly capacities where black lives matter truly mean something, sf can show the rest of the world how we do it. Thank you. Chair ronen thanks for applying. Next we will hear from veronica forbes. Good morning. Chair ronen we cant hear you. We still cant hear you. Can you hear me . Chair ronen now we can. Hi, im veronica forbes applying for seat 7. As formally homeless queer with mentally ill incarcerated father, i work to reduce recidivism, prioritize Public Safety and enhance victim protection, provide Trauma Services and efficiently use San Franciscos resources to divest from incarceration and depression. As lead medical social worker from kaiser Transition Team i know that Funding Program according to the positive outcomes pays for itself in fiscal savings by reducing high medical spending. I collaborated with Jail Psychiatric Services and jail Aftercare Services as Behavioral Healt