PR: NEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS THE VALUE OF PEER SUPPORT IN SHASTA COUNTY

***NEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS THE VALUE OF PEER SUPPORT IN SHASTA COUNTY***

SHASTA COUNTY – HHSA presented a new video, “How Can Peer Support Transform Shasta County?,” at the Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting on February 28, 2023. The 12-minute video, which can also be found on HHSA’s YouTube channel (ShastaHHSA), shares the value of peer support within the county’s mental health system. The video features interviews with HHSA peer support specialists who work in three areas of the agency (Mental Health, Child Welfare, and Alcohol and Drug Programs), along with testimonials from program supervisors and leadership.

Peer support specialists have lived experience with mental illness, substance use, homelessness, the justice system, or a combination of these. They have sustained their own recovery and walk alongside people who are going through similar life challenges, offering emotional support and wellness tools. They often serve as a mediator between clients and professional staff, building trust and understanding.

“As a clinician, I’ve had the privilege and honor of working with peer support specialists throughout my entire career,” says HHSA Mental Health Director, Miguel Rodriguez. “They helped me understand clients, some of the barriers they had toward treatment and the complexity of their lives that impact their outcomes.”

HHSA began hiring peer support specialists around 2017, but the discipline has existed nationwide for decades. A presentation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration highlights various studies that show peer support is effective in:

• Encouraging people to start and stay engaged in treatment
• Decreasing substance use, depression and psychotic symptoms
• Reducing hospitalizations, use of inpatient services and costs to the mental health system
• Helping people in recovery gain confidence and a sense of control over their ability to make changes in their lives

While personal experience serves as their credentials, peer support specialists also go through extensive training and have their own set of professional ethics. More recently, they are working on Medi-Cal Peer Certification, which makes peer support services billable in county mental health plans.

HHSA Peer Support is available to clients who receive services through the agency. Additionally, HHSA helps fund community-based peer support, which is for everyone, and can be found at Sunrise Mountain Wellness Center in Redding and Circle of Friends in Burney.

For more information or questions contact Christopher Diamond, Community Education Specialist, (530) 229-8484

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