CARF Re-Accreditation for Hire-Ability Vocational Services

The Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) surveyors visited RAMS Hire-Ability Vocational Services on December 11 & 12, 2013 for our re-accreditation. The accreditation is a process that demonstrates a provider has met standards for the quality of its services. In the recent survey outcome report, CARF noted that RAMS/Hire-Ability achieved the maximum 3-year accreditation (through January 2017) following services:

• Community Employment Services: Employment Support
• Community Employment Services: Job Development
• Employee Development Services
• Employment Planning Services
• Employment Skills Training Services

Also, CARF surveyors made no recommendations with the report stating "this is an extraordinary accomplishment, as only 3 percent of CARF surveys result in no recommendations." Other survey report highlights include:

• Organization has a strong recovery focus, resulting in high satisfaction and outcome scores
• Clear culture of creativity, intellectual curiosity, innovation, and ongoing positive improvements
• RAMS is recognized national leader in providing culturally sensitive services

We are so very proud for having achieved consecutive three-year reaccreditations and, with the most recent survey, having no recommendations.

The CARF family of organizations currently accredits close to 50,000 programs and services at more than 22,000 locations. More than 8 million persons of all ages are served annually by more than 6,500 CARF-accredited service providers. CARF accreditation extends to countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. This prestigious accreditation signals a service provider's commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community. Click HERE to read more about the accreditation process.

AmazonSmile!

Donate to RAMS through your regular Amazon shopping!

RAMS is now participating in the AmazonSmile program, a simple and automatic way for Amazon customers to support RAMS every time you shop, at no additional cost to you. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases whenever you shop on AmazonSmile!

As a not-for-profit organization, RAMS relies on support from community members, like yourself! We would greatly appreciate if you would designate RAMS as your charitable organization on AmazonSmile(https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7389436), and signing in with your regular Amazon login. Then, please continue to return back to the smile.amazon.com site for any Amazon purchases so that 0.5% of the eligible purchases can be donated to RAMS.

Thank you for your ongoing support!


Click HERE to read more about AmazonSmile.

Introducing the Asian & Pacific Islander Mental Health Collaborative

RAMS gallops into the Year of the Horse with a brand NEW project: Asian & Pacific Islander Mental Health Collaborative!

The project is RAMS’ inaugural venture into community health promotion programs. Through RAMS’ collaborative partnership with the Samoan Community Development Center, Filipino-American Development Foundation/Bayanihan Community Center, and Vietnamese Youth Development Center, our goal is to reduce the stigma of mental health among Samoans, Filipinos, and Southeast Asians (Cambodian, Laotian, & Vietnamese) in San Francisco by delivering culturally and linguistically competent mental health prevention and early intervention activities across the lifespan in community settings.

Check out our website page HERE for more details.

Image credit: artwork by Ryan Gucayane, designed for CRDP, API-SPW

Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate -- Now Accepting Applications for Spring 2014 Class

RAMS, in collaboration with SFSU, is excited to announce that the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2014 Class!
 
Funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program provides a 12-week long training for consumers of behavioral health services or family members who are interested in becoming peer counselors/peer specialists in the field of community behavioral health.

We are looking for individuals who are:

• at least 18 years old
• residents of San Francisco
• have completed at least a high school level education or GED
• current or past consumers of behavioral health services and/or family members
• interested in helping others in the community behavioral health setting

Application and course timeline is as follows:

• Tuesday, January 7th - Application Release
• Tuesday, January 21st - Optional Program Open House (see image below for details)
• Friday, February 14th @ 5:00pm - Application Deadline
• Week of March 10th - Notification of Application Status
• Friday, March 21st - Registration Forms Due for accepted applicants
• Tuesday, April 1st - 1st Day of Class
• Thursday, June 19th - Graduation Ceremony

 

OPEN HOUSE FLYER (Right-click and select any option to "Open")

Kindly distribute this to those in your network and your consumer community, as applicable.

Please feel free to contact Program Coordinator, Shana Averbach, LMFT at (415) 668-5955 x386 or shanaaverbach@ramsinc.org should you have any questions.
Program brochures & application forms are also available for download at: http://www.ramsinc.org/peer.php

We look forward to receiving the applications, Spring 2014 class, and beginning of another great cohort!

Greetings from RAMS

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season from all of us at RAMS!

There is no Health without MENTAL HEALTH!

CARF surveys for the holidays

The Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) surveyors shall be visiting RAMS Hire-Ability Vocational Services on December 11 & 12 for our re-accreditation.  CARF accreditation is a process that demonstrates a provider has met standards for the quality of its services.  We are proud to have received in 2010 the maximum 3-year accreditation that is awarded to agencies, and we are looking forward to demonstrating our strengths and dedication to our work and community at the upcoming visit.

Founded in 1966, CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services in the following areas:

• Aging Services
• Behavioral Health
• Opioid Treatment Programs
• Business and Services Management Networks
• Child and Youth Services
• Employment and Community Services
• Vision Rehabilitation
• Medical Rehabilitation
• DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) 

The CARF family of organizations currently accredits close to 50,000 programs and services at more than 22,000 locations. More than 8 million persons of all ages are served annually by more than 6,500 CARF-accredited service providers. CARF accreditation extends to countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.   This prestigious accreditation signals a service provider's commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community. Click HERE to read more about the accreditation process.

Bay Area Typhoon Recovery Benefit for the Philippines on November 22

With each passing day, more news and heartbreaking personal stories of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda's terrible aftermath reach us in the Bay Area, especially affecting friends and families of those who are victims of this disaster.

As part of the API Circle, RAMS is joining efforts with the community in the Bay Area Typhoon Recovery Benefit for the Philippines, to provide recovery aid and disaster relief in the impacted towns in the Philippines. Your contributions at the door will go directly to the Save the Children.

Additional Organizations will be present to receive generous donations of your choice:

• ABS-CBN Foundation International 
• Feed the Hungry 
• Global Fund for Women 

WHERE:  Drake Lounge, 508 4th Street @ Bryant Street, San Francisco
WHEN: Friday, November 22, 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Social Happy Hour – 6pm
Program – 8:30pm
Fashion Show & Auction – 10pm
Suggested minimum $20 door donations will benefit SAVE THE CHILDREN, an organization helping children and families suffering from the devastation. www.savethechildren.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1435130933372846/
Evite: http://www.evite.com/event/03C4SHLCRP2TOYK54EPDKAWLVIJZXA

Right-click the image below and select any option to "Open" to view in larger format.

EVENT ORGANIZERS Steven Lee, Keesa Ocampo & Rebecca Delgado-Rottman 

FASHION SHOW & AUCTION Viola Bao, Constance Ng, Mimi Tran 

HOST COMMITTEE (in formation): Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Senator Leland Yee, Assm. Rob Bonta, Assm. Phil Ting, Hon. David Chiu, Hon. Malia Cohen, Hon. Matt Haney, Hon. Ash Kalra, Hon. Fiona Ma, Hon. Manufou Anoa’i, Hon. Carmen Colet, Hon. Al Perez, Hon. Tony Thurmond, Hon. Tamiko Wong, Hon. Cindy Wu, Hon. Irene Yee Riley 
Vince Aguilar, Ana Apodaca, Viola Bao, Shadi Bazouzi, Ajay Bhutoria, John Bozeman, Brian Brennan, Edwin Camarao, Jay Chen, Henry Chu, Bonita Chun, Nicole Collins, Sonia Delen, Chris Do, Ted Fang, Marquesa Finch, Taiko Fuj, Christina Fuller, Alex Fung, Eric Golangco, Rick Gutierrez, Dan & Nancy Harrington, Daryl Higashi, Grace Horikiri, Larry Hufana, Albert Hwu, Richard Jue, Mike Kim, Constances Kim Ng, Tony Kutulas, JJ Lara, Jonathan Leong, Angie Louie, Mary Ann Lumba, Meghan Doran Macaluso, Kevin L. Nichols, John Nunes, Michael Orange, Suluagi Aliiva’a Palega, Rick Quan, Rochele Reyes, Roger Royse, Charisse Swartzburg, Mimi Tran, Mark Trang, Vana Tu-Mak, Kingston Wu, Aurora Young, Mona Zhao, Xu Zi Wei 
APAPA-SF Chapter, API Circle, Asian Business League (ABL-SF), AsianWeek Foundation, Books for the Barrios, Drink for a Cause, Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, NAAAP, Nihonmachi Street Fair Committee, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, OCA - San Francisco Bay Chapter, Pacific Islander Community Partnerships, TAP-SF, The Luna Co.