First Statewide Suicide Prevention Roadmap with Equity Focus

In September of 2021 San Mateo County (SMC) released its second suicide prevention strategic plan: Suicide Prevention Roadmap 2021-2026. Suicide is a complex public health issue that involves a variety of factors. The Suicide Prevention Roadmap 2021-2026 outlines a strategy to collectively prevent suicide in out communities. The Roadmap is informed by the best practices, resources, quantitative data and qualitative data, including input from community members and those with lived experience as suicide attempt or loss survivors. It is also aligned with and builds off of the California’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention 2020-2025. San Mateo County’s Suicide Prevention Roadmap consists of four strategic aims and thirteen goals. Each goal includes the following components:  

1. Rationale – based on data when available, including qualitative data (e.g. stakeholder surveys, forum discussions and public comment) and quantitative data (e.g. death, attempt, thoughts, protective factor, risk factor and help-seeking data).  
2. Long-Term Outcome – measurable targets that may be directly or indirectly from implementation of objectives and anticipated to take longer than five years to achieve; often based on qualitative data.  
3. Equity Focus – equity-centered action that aims to improve outcomes for historically marginalized communities.  
4. Current Efforts – program or activity that is currently advancing this specific goal. 
5. Objectives – program or activity intended to advance this specific goal.  

What makes SMC Roadmap unique is that it is the first in California to have an equity focus, therefore explicitly outlining how best to serve all our communities. For more information about SMC Suicide Prevention please visit https://www.smchealth.org/suicide-prevention. 

ODE supports Continued Development and Expansion of Equity Efforts​

 

The BHRS Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) Plan was formalized in 2019 and is an organizational change framework focused on building BHRS’s capacity to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging principles in the workplace. In 2021, the creation of subcommittees composed of BHRS leadership, that with the support of an executive sponsor, oversaw specific activity within the plan goals were established continuing to move this vital work forward.  During this time, our San Mateo County’s Equity Officer led our county in creating our first Countywide Racial and Social Justice Action Plan 1.0. This plan supports our divisions in working together to share resources, data and creative solutions. These efforts were taking place while a third important plan was being developed, the SMC Health Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) Plan which was sponsored by our Health Executive Committee (HEC) and Health Gare cohort. With the support of the Office of Diversity and Equity’s and other valued partners, all three important plans alignment was supported and created throughout our system. This work points to the partnerships that BHRS has developed and how working together we can reinforce our efforts to systemically address our collective and individual community and workforce goals.  

Additionally, during this important period, BHRS began working on our long-term goal of embedding trauma and resiliency-informed policies and practices at every level of our system (Trauma & Resiliency Informed Systems Initiative, TRISI). The initial phase of this work lead to a deeper understanding and the initial phases of integrating a trauma-informed lens into our equity work. Ultimately leading to this effort informing our upcoming MCOD 2.0 Plan.  

Staff Recruitment and Retention Supports Developed 

 

Through our Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) plan Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) explicitly values diverse backgrounds and experiences and seeks to recruit, retain, and promote diverse staff at ALL levels, including leadership. Pieces of this commitment were actualized by our development and implementation of strategies to diversify our workforce. Impactful strategies that occurred in 2021 were: 

1. Recruitment: 

a.  Establish multicultural recruitment efforts which led to posting of job opportunities at diversity recruitment sites and expanded the list by identifying additional appropriate and successful diversity recruitment sites
b.  Add language on job postings stating that BHRS values and encourages diverse applicants and is committed to equity and inclusion to reach diverse candidates including for Leadership positions.  
c.  Incorporate the practice of Cultural Humility into existing and future job responsibilities. 
d.  Analyze demographic data related to hiring, promotion, and attrition as a way to better understand successes and needs 
e.  BHRS leadership launched its first culturally informed recruitment brochure, where experience and knowledge of working with African American community members was highlighted. 

2. Hiring: Implemented inclusive hiring practices.  

a. Developed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Question Bank for hiring managers to utilize in developing hiring application and department interview questions.  
b.  Our ODE team supported our hiring managers in having diversity (race/ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, discipline, lived experience) on all hiring panels to support hiring leaders who embody Cultural Humility. 
c.  Worked to minimize bias in hiring by strongly encouraging the completion of our  Implicit Bias Training for hiring panel members.  
d.  Initiated and then supported Health’s work toward establishing a checklist/step for the inclusive hiring process  

3. Onboarding:  

a.  Infused principles of Cultural Humility in the onboarding process for our ODE team.  
b.  Incorporate principles of Cultural Humility in the BHRS New Hire Orientation to establish a foundation for new hires.  
c.  Set time frame for a new hire to complete a Harvard Implicit Bias Test and training.  

4. Retention: 

a. In 2021 the Office of Diversity and Equity’s A 10-Year Retrospective was published (delayed from 2019 due to pandemic response needs).  The website highlights equity impact, noting at least 3 impactful community, systemic, and or county-wide impacts per year. This informative work increased BHRS and Health visibility, encouraged trust in our valued community and workforce, encouraged diverse hiring candidates, and assisted in our workforce seeing our equity commitment at work.  We also understand that this focus has supported workforce members in becoming involved in equity efforts, feeding their passions, and assisting in all feeling seen and represented.  

BHRS Executive Team as Equity Champions ​

In January of 2021 our Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Expanded Executive Team (ET) began working with an expert consultant to 1) Increase the ability of the Senior Leadership team to achieve a racial equity action plan for the organization; 2) Achieve a greater level of understanding and analysis of factors that assist in achieving a focus on racial equity within the organization; 3) Continue to develop skills and capacities to contribute to the ongoing education and transformational change processes necessary to move the organization towards an understanding of the content of a racial equity strategy, in theory, and practice. This work led to an ET racial equity presentation, the creation of Equity Accountability Partners within our ET, and standing racial equity agenda items at our Executive and Leadership meetings. During this year, the ET Racial Equity Core Group began working on ET Bylaws while intentionally holding a racial equity lens. This work was done in hopes of institutionalizing the importance of diversity (racial, gender, sexual orientation) and equity within the organization. This structure also supported the advancement of MCOD, with ET overseeing specific activities within the plan goals.  

Other key events in 2021

San Mateo County hosted it’s Mental Health Month Live Stream, First Pacific Islander Heal and Paints launched, Spirituality Initiative supported the San Mateo County Faith Leaders Vaccination support letter and hosted Covid 19 Pandemic and Vaccination: Dialogue with Faith Leaders, Creation of BHRS Racial Equity Lens Card.