SFHSS highlights mental-health resources, trainings and CredibleMind hub during Mental Health Awareness Month

Carrie Beshears, the San Francisco Health Service System27s well-being manager, gave an extensive Mental Health Awareness Month presentation to the board on May 13, outlining training, outreach and measurement plans aimed at employees and retirees.

Beshears said SFHSS launched mental-health-first-aid trainings (four-hour courses for managers) and stress-first-aid workshops (two-hour sessions) in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and the National Council for Behavioral Health; since February the program scheduled 36 trainings and trained about 280 leaders, managers and supervisors. The presentation highlighted department-specific pilots (including with Fire, Library, Department of Homelessness and Housing, Laguna Honda and SFMTA), resiliency groups, and a new online resource hub, CredibleMind, launched in December.

The program includes weekly communications during May, measurement plans (EAP call volume, webinar participation, CredibleMind click rates), and campaigns focused on LGBTQ and BIPOC mental health in June and July. Beshears described telehealth27s rapid uptake during the pandemic and said teams are designing shorter virtual offerings to reduce "Zoom fatigue" and encourage brief, high-impact interventions for first responders and other high-stress groups.

Board members asked about pilot selection and departmental buy-in; Beshears said pilots require department readiness and the team works with leadership to develop timelines, metrics and tailored implementation. Supervisor Connie Chan and several commissioners praised the breadth of activities and asked staff to continue expanding wellness spaces and supports for first responders.

Next steps: SFHSS will continue pilots, measure EAP/ CredibleMind engagement, and report back results in future director27s reports.