A Decade of ODE
Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE)
A 15-Year Retrospective
The Office of Diversity and Equity
As part of the San Mateo County Health System’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) values and amplifies the voices of underserved, unserved, and inappropriately served community members in conversations about wellness, recovery, and resilience.
We strive to make behavioral health services culturally appropriate and mental wellness accessible for all San Mateo County residents. Additionally, ODE demonstrates a commitment to understanding and addressing how health disparities, health inequities, and stigma impact an individual’s ability to access and receive behavioral health and recovery services.
ODE works to promote cultural competence and cultural humility within the County’s behavioral health service system through providing resource for trainings, meaningful partnership, and recommended best practices concerning health disparities, health equity, cultural competence, and cultural humility for BHRS staff and partner agencies throughout San Mateo County.
introduction by former behavioral health and recovery services, office of diversity and equity director dr. jei africa
Doing the work to embed diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice into our system of care is essential to improving health outcomes for individuals and families. The San Mateo County Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) not only understands this, but also has the vision and the framework for getting it done.
