Turlock based non-profit First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center merges with Alameda County based non-profit La Familia to establish La Familia Central Valley. Increasing behavioral health services available to local communities.
TURLOCK, Calif. – We are excited to announce the launch of La Familia Central Valley, made possible through the merger between La Familia and the First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center (First Behavioral). While the Turlock based non-profit has only been in existence since July 2020, they have stepped up to meet the mental health needs of the Central Valley during an especially critical time.
Regarding the merger, our CEO, Aaron Ortiz states, “We welcome the La Familia Central Valley team to the organization and look forward to building upon the work First Behavioral Health has begun to establish. Our commitment to connecting those underserved with access to quality behavioral health services extends into the rural communities of this region and we are enthusiastic about learning how to meet the need.”
The organization will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that mental health care is never out of reach for community members in the Central Valley. Offering services that are linguistically appropriate and culturally relevant have been a priority, with the hiring of bilingual and multilingual clinicians. In order to reduce the challenges with transportation and increase ease of access, they have partnered with local school districts to provide on-site school counseling services, offer telehealth visits, and make psychiatry services available for medication management. Consideration around these features exemplifies the team’s commitment to a high quality of care that is accessible to all those who seek it, especially for those who often face barriers related to financial, transportation, and language limitations.
The Central Valley has had limited options for those seeking mental health services, especially for those whose native language is not English. This service gap is critical considering the demographic breakdown of the communities they set out to serve. According to the most recent Census data, over 25% of both Stanislaus and Merced counties are under the age of 18 years old. In Merced County, 63% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino and 53% of the overall population spoke a language other than English in the home. In Stanislaus County 50% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, 43% overall spoke a language other than English in the home. This exemplifies the need for programming that is not only linguistically accessible, but also provides cultural humility.
“Providing mental health resources and support for our students and staff has never been more important. We are so thankful for our partnership with First Behavioral Health and look forward to continuing these critical services with La Familia.” said Terry Metzger, Ed. D., Superintendent, Denair Unified School District.
The merger with La Familia represents the continued growth of the organization that initially began with 4 staff and has grown to 22 employees in just over two years. They provided mental health services to students at three school districts through a grant from Legacy Health Endowment (LHE), including Denair Unified School District, Patterson Unified School District, and Atwater Valley Community School. In March of the same year, with the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, they were able to expand services by providing counseling to the community at large at no expense. In July of 2020, the same group became incorporated as a non-profit, under the name of First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center.
“As First Behavioral Health continued to grow, it was clear that merging it with another nonprofit would ensure that more community members could be served. Their new partner, La Familia, brings years of expertise that complements all the work of First Behavioral. Together, they bring our communities more mental health services that are desperately needed. In addition, La Familia is a perfect fit for our two counties because of their long history of compassionate and culturally responsive care,” said Jeffrey Lewis, President, and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment.
In year one, not only were they able to continue working in schools and with the general population, but they also received a Senior Grant from Covenant Ministries of Benevolence (CMB) to provide mental health services to Spanish speaking adults 60+ and their families.
In year two, they were able to expand their services to include mental health programming for the unhoused population. This was possible through both contracting with We Care Program, a men’s shelter in Turlock, to provide counseling & case management services and a CDBG grant from the City of Turlock to provide counseling services to unhoused community members at Turlock Gospel Mission. Year two also saw the expansion of school-based counseling services made possible through a SAMHSA grant that enabled these supports to be offered at Livingston School District, Delhi School District, Winton School District, Hilmar School District, and Hughson School District. A recent outreach plan was made possible when First Behavioral was selected by Congressman Josh Harder for a Congressionally Directed Spending program to expand outpatient services and conduct a mental health awareness campaign.
“Two years ago, the Gustine Police Department partnered with First Behavioral Health to provide services to our youth in Gustine. The partnership has been more than successful as the resources they provided with such talented clinicians has made a huge impact for our youth. They are a first class organization that truly cares about the community they serve.” said Ruben Chavez, Chief of Police, Gustine Police Department.
We look forward to what this merger means for the future of La Familia and how this expansion will enable continued support services to the many families and communities throughout the region. On behalf of his team, Manuel Jimenez Jr., LMFT, former president/CEO and new Regional Director of La Familia Central Valley expressed, “I’m very pleased with the merger, it’s a great partnership and it will greatly benefit the community.”
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Manuel J. Jimenez, Jr., MA, LMFT
Regional Director
La Familia Central Valley
mjimenez@livelafamilia.org
209/633-3057
