New leadership brings focus on mental health

As I watched Redwood City’s council meeting this week, I felt seen. I heard newly sworn-in Mayor Giselle Hale speak about her struggles as a parent of a non-neurotypical child and how it impacted her mental health, particularly during the pandemic.

“Not being able to help my child in her time of need was one of my most difficult challenges I’ve had to face, and it led me to a personal struggle with anxiety and depression. And when I realized I needed help, it was not easy to find,” she said in her speech to Redwood City. 

One of the leads of this initiative, Vice Mayor Sara McDowell and presumed incoming mayor of San Carlos, witnessed the mental health issues in her community firsthand while working with One Life Counseling Center — a San Carlos nonprofit that provides therapy to anyone who needs it. “They saw a 386% increase in requests for care,” referring to One Life. “Another program saw double their caseload. The need is so high, and the service offering is low,” McDowell said. 

Vice Mayor McDowell has worked hard, gathering data and information from the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics and community organizations to understand the issue better. Twelve incoming mayors, councilmembers, health care districts, Supervisor Don Horsley and nonprofits are coming together to do two things: increase awareness and access to mental health services. 

The working group members of this initiative are Giselle Hale of Redwood City, Mary Bier of Pacifica, Sara McDowell of San Carlos, and Eddie Flores of South San Francisco. Although Councilmember Flores isn’t an incoming mayor, he works as the director of Youth and Behavioral Health at the Peninsula Health Care District. His role as a public servant and employee of a health care district puts him in a unique position to connect mental health services, like those offered by allcove, a network of youth-designed and youth-driven mental health care centers, to the residents of the county. He’s also working with Care Solace, a virtual solution to connect the school system to mental health services, including students, their families, teachers and staff.

“We have services. San Mateo is not far out, but we need to do better in getting the information out, specifically to the communities that need it the most, that are hurting the most. During the holidays, we see increases in suicide ideating and attempts. It’s not just for youth, but anyone in the family can access care — only takes a phone call,” referring to Care Solace.    

One thing is clear; this issue touches everyone. “Mayors are in a unique position of power to set agendas within their jurisdictions,” Hale said. “This issue is so big, and the stigma is so high. This also represents a new wave of vulnerable leadership. For the 12 of us mayors, it was a no-brainer.” On why this became a priority as incoming mayor, she said, “It was talking to the community and finding out that these stories are everywhere — this issue defies gender, class and racial lines, from Portola Valley to North Fair Oaks.” 

We are facing a hidden crisis in our country, and San Mateo County is not exempt from the consequences of poor mental health. The incoming leadership is prioritizing awareness and access to mental health services. If you think this is an important issue, reach out to your mayor and tell them why this matters to you.  

Rudy Espinoza Murray is a Redwood City resident and community organizer on housing, gun violence prevention, LGBTQ+, and LatinX issues. He is a co-founder and lead of the San Mateo County Farmworker Affairs Coalition.