By Moryt Milo Aakash Desai had a career trajectory similar to other young adults in Silicon Valley. He graduated from high school with an aptitude in computer science and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering, followed by an MBA. For the first ten years of his tech career, he…
The media has been reporting on our youth mental health crisis. What is the current emotional health of teens? What tools are available to support our youth? What does school-based counseling look like and why is it effective? Marico Sayoc, our February general meeting presenter, will discuss youth mental health and answer these questions and…
Helping middle- and high-schoolers understand mental illness makes a big difference. NAMI’s Ending the Silence program helps raise awareness and change perceptions around mental health conditions.
By Moryt Milo For parents whose children have mental health conditions, the question of who cares for them once they are gone is ever present. Mark Gilfix, a partner at Gilfix & La Poll Associates and an expert in special needs planning, said this fear can be abated with the right tools. Once established, these…
By Moryt Milo Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, negotiates football contracts, maintains a competitive salary cap for the organization, and was charged with figuring out where to put a new football stadium. But when it came to his sister’s battle with mental illness, he was confronted with…
Mark Gilfix, a special needs planning expert and partner at Gilfix & La Poll Associates, will discuss how to set up a Special Needs Trust for loved ones with a mental illness. He will explain how establishing such a trust prevents individuals from losing their public benefits—SSI and SSDI. Gilfix is a nationally published author…
By Moryt Milo For close to 20 years, California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) has been a lifeline for a number of behavioral health care programs not covered by Medi-Cal. Come March 2024, some of that funding could shift dramatically if voters approve the referendum on the ballot. Proposition 1, as it will be known,…
Dr. María José Hummel’s presentation will cover the nutritional and lifestyle factors that affect the brain as well as the different diseases and conditions that affect the brain, such as mood disorders (depression and anxiety) and neurological disorders (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease). Evidence-based information is given about what nutrients have been shown to…
By Moryt Milo On the last day of July, the weather was hot and the energy was electric as mental health advocates rallied in front of Good Samaritan Hospital to protest the closure of 18 inpatient psychiatric beds at Mission Oaks Hospital in Los Gatos. Mission Oaks, part of San Jose-based Good Samaritan Hospital, is…
By Moryt Milo California State Sen. Susan Eggman has authored a bill, SB 43, that would revise the language in the Lanterman Petris Short (LPS) Conservatorship law. The 56-year-old law’s definition of “gravely disabled” is too subjective many families argue, and they hope the bill will reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Under current law, individuals…