We are excited to announce that the Santa Barbara Crisis Stabilization Services (CSS) is officially open as of May 30!  The Santa Barbara CSS is funded through a partnership with the County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness, and it is our third Crestwood CSS program.  The CSS is certified to serve up to 8 adult clients who are experiencing a mental health crisis. This program provides them with a safe and warm place to land, where they receive comprehensive mental health services and support for up to 23 hours during their stay.  They will then be referred to mental health services that best meets their needs so they may continue their recovery journey. The program is located at 305 Camino del Remedio in Santa Barbara.

It’s unusual to observe collaboration as it is happening. It is far more common to celebrate the success of collaboration after its culminated.  Crestwood’s collaboration with San Diego Health Care Hospital system and San Diego County Behavioral Health Services has provided an incredible opportunity to observe it in real time with measurable milestones and outcomes. This collaboration story began in 1992 when a case manager from San Diego County was seeking a placement for a very challenging client and a Crestwood facility in northern California was willing to take a chance. Later that case manager’s program manager got a chance to visit this client at the Crestwood Facility in northern California. What she saw there that day left a very positive impression that she remembered for many years to come. This was the first collaboration between Crestwood and San Diego County and set the stage for future events. Fast forward to 2013 when that very astute and dedicated program manager, Anna La Rocca Palid, LCSW, who is now a leader as a Behavioral Health Program Coordinator in San Diego County Behavioral Health Services, contacted Crestwood about the need in San Diego County for secured behavioral healthcare services. The county had grown tremendously and there were more challenging people to serve and insufficient programs to serve them. They needed a provider to work with the community and them to serve at least 40 clients requiring intensive, secured, recovery-based services. The county also wanted a provider who thinks outside the box, has creative individualized employment programs, recovery services and focuses on integrated alternative tools for clients and they chose Crestwood to be that provider. Crestwood and San Diego County Behavioral Health Services began devising a plan to address the county’s needs. Crestwood found a beautiful site for a 42-bed Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC) on a hospital campus in San Diego and created the first of two programs – Crestwood San Diego. Crestwood San Diego opened in June 2014 and quickly filled up with 42 clients. Before long, there was a flow of individuals successfully reintegrating into the community and new admissions moving into the program. The hospitals in the area felt a sense of relief and the new services served their purpose with helping many clients with their recovery. Soon Crestwood San Diego was full and the San Diego County behavioral healthcare system again felt the pressure of impacted Emergency Departments, long waiting lists at the psychiatric hospitals and a bottleneck in the mental health system. So they looked among themselves to find a possible location for a 40-bed MHRC. Paradise Valley Hospital found a location that would work. Crestwood and Paradise Valley Hospital started discussions about creating a 40-bed MHRC on this site. Dimitrios Alexiou, FACHE, President and CEO of The Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties and San Diego County Behavioral Health Services worked very closely together to successfully garner support from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the community to commit to the 40-bed MHRC in Chula Vista. Crestwood and Paradise Valley Hospital invested significantly in an extensive refurbishing project to create a beautiful, homelike, welcoming recovery-based MHRC known as Crestwood Chula Vista. Crestwood Chula Vista opened in July 2015 and is Crestwood’s ninth MHRC in California. Collaboration is working with others to do a task and to achieve shared goals. The wonderful collaboration of these groups created an environment that enabled San Diego County Behavioral Health Services to provide beds to some of the clients in greatest need for these services, helping them with their recovery and easing stress in the community and local hospital emergency rooms. It is clear to see that through collaboration we can make a difference.

I first learned about Crestwood four years ago in Boston, where I met Mertice “Gitane” Williams, Crestwood’s Vocational Wellness Educator, at a Trauma Summit hosted by the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care. My introduction to Crestwood and subsequent work with Crestwood has had a profound effect in my personal and professional life. I train and consult on creating trauma-informed systems all over the country and in some other parts of the world. As many of you know, trauma-informed care (TIC) is about operating from a set of values consistent with trauma-informed principles. First and foremost, Crestwood values are very much aligned with the values of TIC. But more importantly, Crestwood lives and practices its values, which makes it a trauma-informed organization. Creating trauma-informed organizations is a journey. This journey can be difficult and challenging, but rewarding. Crestwood understands this and has made a commitment to this journey for the long haul. This is what makes my journey with Crestwood unique. I have assisted many organizations in this journey and some organizations introduce TIC as a “flavor of the month”, and then later that energy fades away. But this is not the case at Crestwood. Two years after my big training for Crestwood on TIC, the DVD of that training remains mandatory viewing for their new staff orientation. Of course, I still blush when I walk into a program and get recognized from that DVD! Trauma-informed care is about healing. There are experiences in all our lives and our clients’ lives that leave an emotional wound, and some of those are deeper than others. A very wise Native American psychologist once said that trauma is the “wound that does not bleed.” Therefore, our job is to create a system of care that ultimately helps heal these wounds. We can call it many names, but ultimately most everything we do boils down to promoting healing. Crestwood understands this concept and that is why the many initiatives that Crestwood embarks on helps people heal. For example, the development of welcoming rooms to replace intake/admission rooms is a significant move towards healing. When clients walk into a Crestwood building, their first encounter is to walk into a room that says, “We are here to make you feel safe and wanted” versus “We are here to fix you.” Practices that empower clients to manage their treatment honors clients’ self-determination. Also the preponderance of rocking and sliding chairs in the programs provides rhythmic and repetitive movements for self-soothing and building new self-regulatory pathways, which are important in a client’s healing journey.  All the environmental improvements and enhancements convey the message to your clients and staff that you provide them with a place to live and work that reflects their importance in this world. The Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network program is not just a vocational program, it is a program that helps clients rediscover and reinforce their worth in this world and that they can make a difference. There are many big and small things that are being implemented throughout Crestwood. I urge you to view all of these as steps in the healing journey and that there is no deed too small to make an impact on healing. There is no job or function that does not contribute to this journey.  The Crestwood motto, “It’s About Growth” is founded on the understanding that it is hard to grow without healing from the past. Practicing trauma-informed approaches is akin to preparing and tilling the land to ensure growth is possible. A good gardener knows that it is important to know the nutrients that already exist in the soil in order to supplement and enhance what is already there.  This is why it is also crucial that you recognize and honor the many years you have been conducting healing practices with your clients. Your journey is in discovering and implementing healing practices that will augment the wonderful things you all are already doing. Lastly, I thank you all for the privilege in making me a part of the Crestwood journey!

At Crestwood Bakersfield, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is an important part of the healing and recovery process for their clients. Their motto and goal is to stay well by playing and focusing on their key recovery concepts, which include hope, personal responsibility, education, self-advocacy and support.  WRAP is used to learn to uncover each person’s own wellness tools and put them into action on a daily basis. Many of the WRAP activities they have incorporated into their classes are team building activities, which help others learn how to work as a team, increase problem solving skills and improve communication. “Our goal is to incorporate more fun, interactive and competitive activities into our WRAP trainings.  Just recently I developed a WRAP Trivia/Crestwood Family Feud game which has been helpful in understanding why WRAP is such a vital part of our lives,” said Linda Johnson, Director of Recreation Therapy. Another creative way Crestwood Bakersfield is presenting WRAP in their programs is by having individuals team up into pairs, with the assignment to create and design a WRAP community in which people would enjoy living.  This exercise is not only a lot of fun for the clients, but it also brings communication, group understanding and decision making skills in to play. “Since so many of us enjoy being in a peaceful setting, we have also incorporated a beach theme into our WRAP classes this summer, with ocean sounds, beach sand, sea shells, candles, lounge chairs and many other soothing items which seem to help ease the pressure of daily life,” explained Linda. Crestwood Bakersfield continues to find wonderful ways to support clients in their recovery through innovative WRAP activities and they love to say, “We are playing. What are you doing to stay well?”

Recovery is a choice; a person has to choose to be willing to work on their own recovery and actively participate in determining what recovery means to them. Not only is recovery a choice, it is an ongoing choice that is deeply personal and one that a person has to keep choosing every day, even though it may be difficult at times. At Crestwood Center at Napa Valley when a client is not ready to begin their journey of recovery, we let them know that we are here to help them when they decide they are ready. We are able to offer compassion, support and empathy in a non-judgmental manner. We offer a variety of opportunities they can participate in that will hopefully make their choice for recovery easier such as WRAP, DBT, working for Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network, art therapy, and various addiction-based recovery groups. Independent studies are also available for those not comfortable in groups. Once one of our clients makes the decision to begin their journey of recovery, it then becomes an ongoing choice, a new habit and a new way of life for them. Eventually, choosing recovery for them becomes easier. Recovery may be difficult for so many reasons such as facing uncomfortable thoughts, doing things they may not want to do, and even things they may believe are unnecessary. Sometimes the process of recovery includes not having much power or control over one’s own life for a time. So we try to provide our clients with tools, skills and plans they can use to gain empowerment and independence. Sometimes the realization of having to make the choice of recovery for the rest of their lives can be overwhelming, but we always remind them to take it one day at a time.  We encourage them by letting them know that when recovery does become a habit, it stops being so daunting. The work we do at Crestwood Center at Napa Valley can be frustrating at times because we cannot force a client to work on their recovery, as much as we want it for them. But more often than not, our work is very rewarding when we can help a client with their recovery. We can never give up hope and instead we can hold the hope for the hopeless and support their decisions. We can continue to help others discover their own path on the road to recovery by offering counseling, encouragement, our life experiences and our strengths. Our goal is to let our clients know that recovery is a choice that is worth making, so that they can maximize their life and achieve a sense of balance and fulfillment.

When a person has no hope, no sense of self, no meaning in life, and when they feel that their purpose on this earth feels nonexistent, their dreams have evaporated and thoughts of tomorrow are too heavy a burden to carry - that person can start to drown in emptiness.  It is at this time when they need that path to be opened – the path of connection, the path of light and a path that is uniquely theirs. It becomes the one place or thought that they can hold on to; this is their personal spiritual path. Spirituality is the connection to a greater power, others and self.  It is the way to find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in life.  Many people find spirituality through religion, music, art or a connection with nature, while others find it in their values and principles. At Crestwood Behavioral Health we hold spirituality as one of our core values for recovery. Each person’s spiritual path can be healing, centering, a moment of peace that is filled with acceptance and love. The path can be dark at times. It can be difficult to find without a companion, a guide or simply someone who believes in you, who sees you and who can by a look, a touch or a word begin to open the door to your spiritual path.  The door may be a prayer, a moment of tears, or even a moment of silence. It is a connection with a higher power, with nature, with something or someone greater than ourselves. The door to your spiritual path may be opened in the simplest and most humble of settings or it may be in a mosque, temple or church. It may be sitting near water or may be by spending time in the outdoors. At times it’s in silence or it can be brought on by a beautiful song. Each person’s spiritual path can be healing, centering, a moment of peace that is filled with acceptance and love. It is often what brings back hope, a sense of self, purpose and a meaning to life. It is and shall always be a core value to what we offer in our services for our clients at Crestwood.

As we age there are many emotional and physical transitions to cope with, and change is difficult, no matter how old you are. It’s natural to feel those losses. But if that sense of loss is balanced with positive ingredients, you have a recipe for staying healthy as you age. Healthy aging means finding new things you enjoy, learning to adapt to change, staying physically and socially active, and feeling connected to your community. An active lifestyle as you age can help reduce physical illness and emotional distress and increase longevity and quality of life. It is never too late to start to exercise. Regular physical activity helps you look and feel younger and stay independent longer. It also lowers your risk for a variety of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and obesity. The mood benefits of exercise can be just as great in the elderly as for the youth. And did you know that exercise and stretching that is appropriate for your ability, will reduce falls and increase balance. At Idylwood Care Center, their Medical Director, Dr. Silver, observed about their residents and exercise, “Regardless of underlying medical conditions the data is clear that the one thing that will increase the length and quality of life is exercise.”  “Zumba has shown to help create new neural pathways and new brain cell growth" Motivation to exercise as you age can be challenged by the loss of strength and stamina, medical conditions and lack of social support. Communities play an important role in promoting health and wellness. Recently Greg Parnell, Crestwood’s Health and Wellness Facilitator and Zumba Zen Master, visited Idylwood Care Center to work with their new Zumba instructor, Elsa DeIxta. Residents and staff alike had a great time moving their bodies to a playlist of music featuring oldies and Latin classics. “Zumba has shown to help create new neural pathways and new brain cell growth reversing signs of Alzheimer’s and Dementia and improving physical, psychological and emotional health,” said Greg. He adapted the class to be done in a chair or bed for those that are bed bound or physically disabled. “As I visit each of our unique campuses, the one thing I know for sure is when more staff are involved in participating in a Zumba class, it inspires more of our clients to participate. Zumba and exercise are a part of our Wellness Initiative and when we get moving together, it feels like one big community coming together, creating an organizational wellness landscape. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do Zumba, as long as you are moving and smiling.” Contributed by Cindy Mataraso, Director of Operations

One of the biggest challenges for both our clients and staff is finding the time and motivation to get adequate exercise. Greg Parnell, the Director of Education and Assistant Program Director at Crestwood Behavioral Health Center Eureka’s campus, has been a licensed Zumba instructor for five years now, and to say he is passionate about Zumba, would be an enormous understatement. He teaches Zumba classes not only for the clients in the Eureka facility, but also in the community at recreation centers and schools. Zumba was started in the 1990s blending aerobic exercise with infectious Latin dance music. It is now a worldwide phenomenon being done in 180 countries, with more than 15 million students taking classes. What Greg and many others that participate in Zumba have found is that it is an activity that sparks something deep inside your spirit. That spark energizes you, changes your mood, and changes your outlook on life. Not only does Zumba bring about physical changes in you, it brings about mental and spiritual changes as well. Zumba can be a spark that starts with a simple routine of fun exercise, which then progresses into wanting to eat better, feel better, present one's self better, and be more active in the world. Crestwood has added Zumba to our Mind, Body, and Spirit Initiative. To get Zumba started in our facilities, Greg, along with Margaret McDonald, Administrator at Crestwood Center at Napa Valley and Crestwood’s Director of Nutritional and Wellness Services, wrote a proposal for a Crestwood Zumba Program that has several components and was geared toward both clients and staff. Their first goal was to get one or two staff members at each facility to be trained as Zumba instructors. These staff members can then teach 3 to 5 classes a week for clients and staff at their facilities. The second component was the purchase of Zumba DVDs that could be used to do additional Zumba classes or while trained staff is away. And the third part was to reach out to local Zumba instructors and develop a mutually beneficial relationship with them, in which they would volunteer their time to do Zumba at our facilities, in exchange for directing staff toward their classes in the community. Greg, as Crestwood’s in-house Zumba resource, will also travel to the facilities quarterly to reinvigorate the programs and troubleshoot any problems. At the 2015 annual Zumba Convention that was held in Orlando, Florida, Greg shared Crestwood’s proposal for a Zumba program with Alberto Pearlman, the CEO of Zumba, who then shared it with conference Keynote speaker, actress and singer Ashley Judd, who lives her own recovery story of depression and wellness through Zumba. Ms. Judd and Mr. Pearlman were so fascinated by what Crestwood is doing with Zumba that they both decided they wanted to be involved. Mr. Pearlman graciously offered to train Crestwood staff to become licensed Zumba instructors. In November 2015, 11 Crestwood facilities, (Angwin, American River, Sacramento, Pleasant Hill, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Vallejo, Solano, San Diego, and Chula Vista) sent nineteen staff members to Cheryl Louie’s Studio Z in Newark, California, where they were trained by Joy Smith, a Zumba Education Specialist, to become licensed Zumba instructors. Since then, Greg and Margaret have been traveling to our facilities helping our licensed Zumba instructors plan their classes, help with choreography, and incorporate classes into program schedules. “The enthusiasm from staff and clients has been overwhelming, and the support from Administrators has been amazing. It is inspiring to see how many of our clients really get into the classes, the music, the movement, and just losing themselves into the rhythms,” said Greg. “There are also stories of amazing transformations of our very quiet and soft-spoken clients who suddenly come alive when the Zumba class starts. They see and feel the energy around them and then want to join in.” And then there are also staff members, who after just one of Greg’s Zumba visits, are then inspired to want to do more, learn more, and become Zumba instructors themselves. Greg and Margaret hope to measure the success of the program and the influence of Zumba on our clients and staff in several ways. They have developed a pre-survey to be used before Zumba is offered in the facility and a post-survey after Zumba has been added to the program schedule. These surveys will assess the number of days clients exercise, reported enjoyment of exercise, and reported barriers to exercise, such as feeling self-conscious or not enjoying exercise. When the Zumba program is fully up and running in our Mental Health Rehabilitation Centers, Psychiatric Health Facilities, Adult Residential Facilities, and Social Rehabilitation facilities, they intend to bring Zumba Gold to our Skilled Nursing Facilities. Zumba Gold is a specialized form of Zumba for older adults. “We believe all of our clients and staff, no matter what age or ability level, will benefit physically, emotionally, and spiritually from participating in such an accessible and inspiring form of exercise,” said Margaret. “We also would love to eventually have clients be trained to become Zumba instructors, giving them meaningful roles in the facilities and the potential for employment once they are back in their communities.” Zumba truly provides that amazing spark to energize the mind, body and spirit of those who experience and embrace it in their lives. Contributed by: Margaret M. McDonald, M.S. Director of Nutrition and Wellness Services and Robert Pitts, Campus Administrator Crestwood Behavioral Health Center Eureka

When he first stepped inside Crestwood San Diego he was thin, weak, and frightened. He had patchy hair from malnourishment and poor hygiene. He had been abused and kept in a small space when he was younger, and he was later abandoned by his first family. He had been forced to live on the streets for some time before getting taken in by the “system.” He would sometimes get aggressive with others and he clearly was traumatized by his past in ways that gave him nightmares that made him toss and turn and cry at night. His legs were weakened and arthritic from being confined when he was young, and this caused him to struggle when walking. He was nervous when he first came to Crestwood San Diego, but he was quickly embraced by both the staff and clients. His name is Gifford and he is a six-year old Chow Chow/Golden Retriever mix dog. Gifford was adopted with another rescued older Chow Chow/Golden Retriever mix, named Enzo, from a high-kill shelter in San Bernardino by two staff members, Meghan O’Barr, a Service Coordinator at Crestwood Chula Vista and Stephen O’Barr, Director of Nursing at Crestwood San Diego.  Enzo’s first owner was a man with mental illness who ended up hospitalized for a long period of time, which then left Enzo to fend for himself on the streets, until he was picked up by the shelter. Gifford was so scared and traumatized that he didn’t make eye contact at first, but he was ever so grateful for any petting he received. He required a lot of care, rehabilitation, and exercise before he stepped inside the facility as a therapy dog. He was shy at first, but as staff and clients opened up to him and showed him love, he quickly grew to like spending time at Crestwood San Diego and Crestwood Chula Vista. Like Gifford, Enzo had many trust issues.  He would greet people, but also kept his distance for the first month. It took patience, consistency and compassion for Enzo to get past his trust issues, just like many of our Crestwood clients.  Enzo is now the quintessential “Velcro” dog, always staying close to his family, yet with reassurance, is eager to meet new people and give them kisses. Michael Bargagliotti, the former Administrator of both Crestwood Chula Vista and Crestwood San Diego, who is now the Administrator of the Crestwood Center San Jose campus, was highly supportive of incorporating pets as part of the therapeutic milieu.  Since September 2015, Michael opened the door to allow several staff members to bring their dogs to both facilities, including Service Coordinator, Maida Ferraes, who brings her dog Rocco; Director of Nursing Services, Fabiola Evans, who brings her dog Riley; and Service Coordinator, Jana Cook, who brings her dog Sammy Thomas. All of these dogs were rescued from shelters, have experienced their own trauma and now love their new lives as the dogs of Crestwood. The dogs add to the feeling of a warm and homelike atmosphere that Crestwood MHRCs strive to create with a living-room milieu. They don’t just bring cuteness, fur and fun to the two programs; they have made connections with some of the clients who suffer from the worst paranoia and anxiety and who often push most people away. Studies have shown that pet therapy helps clients by lessening depression, decreasing feelings of isolation, encouraging communication, providing comfort, increasing socialization, lowering anxiety, and reducing loneliness.  Gifford recently helped a client with suspected sexual abuse to feel safe and comfortable enough so that they could start opening up to the staff. Gifford was also the mascot at the first San Diego vs Chula Vista kickball tournament, and he even makes appearances at IDT meetings so that clients can feel more comfortable in discussions that may be sometimes stressful. These amazing dogs have awakened empathy and affection in many of our clients through their unconditioned love and presence. One client coping with manic episodes at Crestwood Chula Vista refers to Rocco as “my boy” and their shared exuberance and energy makes them the best of friends.  Rocco has been instrumental in reducing this client’s symptoms with simple, every day dog activities, such as walks and games of fetch. Like Gifford, Rocco struggled with his relationship with other animals and underwent training with a behavioral therapist, an experience that many clients can relate to. Sammy Thomas, who one of the clients calls, “Jana’s Lamb,” is a gentle boy, who like some of our clients, suffers from a severe medical condition.  Sammy experiences seizures and takes medication daily. Jana and Meghan both use their dogs’ medication needs to help normalize medication management and this helps many of their clients realize that Sammy and Enzo are just like them. Clients at Crestwood San Diego and Crestwood Chula Vista have watched with delight as love and care have transformed Gifford from a nervous, half-lame dog with patchy fur, into a big, friendly bear with a beautiful, thick coat. The message our clients get is that if Gifford can grow and change, then so can they.  Just as the staff is deeply satisfied by their clients’ growth and successes, the clients have taken great joy in seeing the recovery and resiliency of our Crestwood dogs and know that they are capable of recovery too. Several clients have grown very attached to the dogs and look forward to each of their visits. These amazing dogs have awakened empathy and affection in many of our clients through their unconditioned love and presence. They both share a lot of trauma and suffering in their pasts.  They also share a simple need, which is to be loved and to know that they are not alone and they can give each other that powerful, simple love that makes them both stronger and happier.  That love, togetherness, and understanding are the mainstays of recovery, and are what makes Crestwood so special.

Last year the California drought led to state mandates for businesses and households to cut back on water usage.  While many California homes and workplaces made eco-friendly changes simply because of these mandates, Crestwood Healing Center Pleasant Hill had just launched a major environmental responsibility project, aimed at reducing water and energy usage, increasing sustainability and limiting general waste.  Creating a facility team later dubbed the Green Machine, the project has, in less than a year, achieved much more than they could have ever hoped. The environmental responsibility project developed out of recognition of the large amount of plastic cups that were being thrown away in the facility on a daily basis.  But the first and biggest priority for the Green Machine became water conservation, though the intention from the onset was not simply a response to the drought.  The team knew that to make real, sustainable change, it would be important to involve the entire facility community.  The project kicked off on Earth Day 2015, with the Green Machine providing educational presentations, giving out reusable water bottles to be used instead of disposable cups and with staff and clients making specific pledges on how they would be more environmentally conscious. For water conservation, part of the work to be done centered on general maintenance and repair around the building.  The team identified leaks throughout the facility, and proceeded to replace and repair toilets and sinks, while also installing faucet aerators and water-efficient showerheads that were provided for free by the local water company.  Other water conservation efforts included education and awareness on how to reduce water usage when showering, shaving and brushing teeth.  One resident, James, who has helped lead the charge on water consciousness, said, “I try to conserve water by turning off the shower when soaping up and shampooing my hair.”  Ultimately due to all these water conservation efforts, the facility cut its water usage by a whopping 45% in 2015, which is 20% more than the statewide mandate!  A year after launching the environmental responsibility project, the facility has saved more than a million gallons of water and counting. Additionally, the environmental responsibility project at the facility has focused on becoming more sustainable and reducing waste.  The facility has accomplished this through a composting project and by fixing a failing recycling system, as well as by creating Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network positions for clients to work in both composting and recycling.   The Green Machine also got clients involved in upcycling, a process in which materials that would otherwise be thrown out, such as plastic cups, are turned into new items, such as “flower” bouquets. To reduce waste, the Green Machine decided that it must start with a new mindset around awareness on how much trash was being routinely created.  Part of the fix was changing practices, such as cleaning with rags instead of paper towels, while also placing a huge emphasis on using reusable items, such as reusable water bottles and shopping bags instead of disposable ones.  Frances, a resident who is one of the biggest supporters of the project, said, “I hang clothes in the window to dry so I don’t use electricity and I turn off the lights in my room and other rooms when no one is in there.”  The early results have included a $1,200 reduction in energy costs and saving 25,500 plastic cups that were normally used one time for water when taking medications and then thrown away. Education has been one of the greatest tools the Green Machine has used to make change, and in addition to regular environmental events in the facility, they have begun making more of a difference outside the building as well.  One way is working alongside their partner organization, Putnam Clubhouse, a Contra Costa County community organization where adults with mental health issues go to build skills and make valuable connections.  The Green Machine and Putnam Clubhouse members are working together on a monthly cleanup of the Berkeley shoreline and so far have had 51 people involved making a positive impact on the community. As the environmental responsibility project at Crestwood Healing Center Pleasant Hill looks at next steps after a year of massive accomplishments, the Green Machine is aiming at expanding their environmental practices to continue reducing the facility’s impact on the Earth, while ultimately getting the facility certified as a green business.  As the team celebrated the first year of the project on this year’s Earth Day on April 22nd, the Contra Costa Water District joined them in the festivities to recognize the huge successes in conservation.  With a little education, effort and care for the planet, the Green Machine hopes its message can inspire others to make a similar impact in their community for the environment. Contributed by: Travis Curran, Campus Administrator Crestwood Healing Center Pleasant Hill and Chloe De Lancie, Project Coordinator Crestwood Healing Center Pleasant Hill

The day Crestwood Behavioral Health opened the Kingsburg Healing Center was one of those beautiful moments of transformation. We spend much of our lives working with people and ourselves on transformation, it could be changing a small behavior or a big one, and it may mean adding an exercise routine, revising a Recovery Service Plan, or helping a person find a job.  Transformation may also be seen in the developing of a new program, which was the central theme in the opening our Kingsburg Healing Center. Transformation for Kingsburg Healing Center began with rehabilitating an old building that had been vacant and lifeless for decades, into a beautiful, warm, welcoming facility. It involved designing a new program that incorporates all of our recovery services such as Homelike Environments, Mind, Body, and Spirit Wellness, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Trauma-Informed Approaches.  The development of the Kingsburg Healing Center also gave us a chance to get to know the neighbors and community leaders and to start becoming part of such a wonderful community. Opening week for our Kingsburg Healing Center was very exciting and included an Open House on January 27, where community leaders and neighbors were welcomed in to tour the newly transformed facility and meet the staff. The event began by a warm blessing from Father Gregory, from the Holy Family Parish.  Kingsburg Mayor, Bruce Blayney, then provided opening words and other local community leaders such as Kingsburg District Hospital Board Members Glenn Snyder, Robert Johnson and Arlie Rogers, as well as Kingsburg City Manager, Alex Henderson also added their own words of welcome. Dawan Utecht, Director of Fresno County Behavioral Health, shared her kind words with the group.  Many other community leaders were also in attendance such as City Council Members Staci Smith and Michelle Roman; Chief of Police Neil Dadian; and Steve Safarjian, local broker/owner of RPS Real Estate. The Open House was a great success with more than 200 community members attending.  One Kingsburg citizen, Mrs. Johnson, commented, “Thank you so much for letting us tour the facility.  Crestwood has done an amazing job transforming the old Hospital. My husband and I are excited to leave here and tell all our friends what the facility looks like and what we learned from the tour.”  And another Kingsburg citizen, Mr. Lopez, said, “Your staff was so nice and gave us a lot of great information about the facility during our tour. Thank you for giving the community a chance to see for ourselves all the hard work that has gone into the building and understanding what your company stands for.” So one week later on February 1, after two years of planning, challenges, hearings and a lot of hard work, the Kingsburg Healing Center was ready to open for clients!  On that opening day it was a gift to have five clients who were warmly received in our welcome room; who sat watching our fish tank; who walked in our yard; who found a space for a quiet time in our serenity room; who shared in delicious homemade lasagna; and who  slept on new beautiful, comfortable beds. These five people were now on a journey to start their own recovery transformation. Kingsburg Healing Center is not only a transformation of an old building into a beautiful new program; it also is the beginning transformation in the lives of our clients and their families.  “I want you to know that I think the Kingsburg Healing Center is such a loving and warm place.  It is a wonderful place for my daughter.  She is doing so much better now that she is here,” said one client’s mother. No longer will clients in Fresno County have to travel hundreds of miles for mental health services and no longer will their families have to make long trips to visit them. “I wish this place had been here sooner, it would have been nice to have our son here sooner.  Now that he is back in Fresno County we can see him anytime we want and we know it will help him get better,” said one client’s parents.  The transformations at Kingsburg Healing Center are just beginning. Contributed by: Patty Blum, PhD Crestwood Vice President

The staff at Idylwood Care Center is always looking for new ways to support the well-being of their residents.  Recently, Dietary and Occupational Therapy staff and interns came together to design and launch the Garden to Table program.  This program guides residents in the gardening of seasonal vegetables and herbs, provides education on plants, promotes physical activity, encourages healthful nutrition and supports emotional and mental well-being. The daily schedule for the program begins with staff sharing with residents a variety of information on nutrition, food basics and overall health and well-being strategies.  Next they demonstrate how-to gardening fundamentals such as weeding, watering, pruning and harvesting. In addition to working in the garden, residents are also encouraged to walk through the garden and get moderate sun exposure during sitting breaks. This give them an opportunity to enjoy the garden, while increasing their Vitamin D levels through sun exposure, which helps with calcium absorption to improve bone density and maintain muscle and nerve function. Residents are also involved from the beginning in the preparation of the garden by helping to choose what types of vegetables to plant such as peppers, basil and tomatoes.  When it is time to harvest the vegetables and herbs, residents are able to help choose a favorite recipe to use them in, so they can enjoy first-hand the delicious benefit of what they have grown. The Garden to Table program has been successful in helping residents to increase their group participation and peer interaction; improve their overall well-being and fitness by increasing strength and dexterity; increase their moderate sun exposure time and Vitamin D levels; and improve their weight management and lab levels. The facility plans to expand their Garden to Table program by having Dietary and Occupational Therapy interns and staff collaborate with residents to create new recipes for what they have grown and also donate a part of their garden produce to local community outreach programs. By sharing their garden bounty with the community, the hopes are that the residents will feel a sense of accomplishment and empowerment that they are making a difference in other people’s lives. With all of these amazing benefits, the Garden to Table program is having an overall positive effect on the mind, body and spirit of the residents at Idylwood Care Center. Contributed by: Sandy Narasimhan MS,RD,CSG and Rashmi Rajadhyax PD,OTR/L