A New Mental Health Consumer Voice Arises.
The Birth of California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations (CAMHPRO)
San Francisco — March 25, 2012
On March 20, 2012, Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State to establish a consumer run organization with the specific purpose “to promote the work and mission of peer run organizations devoted to advocacy and empowerment for mental health consumers.” Directors of consumer run organizations and statewide consumer leaders have actively worked together for the last six months to develop this new mental health consumer voice in California.
CAMHPRO’s founding organizational members include Mental Health Consumer Concerns of Contra Costa County, Project Return Peer Support Network of Los Angeles County, Peers Envisioning and Engaging Recovery Services (PEERS) of Alameda County, and the Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF). Individual founders include Linford Gayle, Director of the Office of Consumer and Family Affairs, San Mateo County and former Chair of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission.
CAMHPRO has enlisted Sally Zinman, a pioneer in the national and California mental health consumer movement, to serve as Interim Executive Director in its formative year of growth.
“In the last thirty-five years, consumer run programs have grown from informal mutual peer support groups to SAMHSA designated best-practices,” stated Khatera Aslami, Executive Director of PEERS, “It is time for these organizations to work together within a formal structure to promote strong organizations and empowered individuals.”
CAMHPRO is very happy to gain the organizational expertise of Sally Zinman, previously a long time Executive Director of the California Network of Mental Health Clients, and founder and Director of one of the first consumer run drop in and advocacy centers in the country, the Berkeley Drop-In Center. Sally is also the coordinating editor and contributing writer of Reaching Across: Mental Health Clients Helping Each Other, 1988, a landmark manual describing consumer run program principles and practices.
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For more information, contact Sally Zinman at szinman@aol.com or 510-644-1916 or
Eduardo Vega, Executive Director of MHASF at eduardo@mha-sf.org or 415-421-2926.