Buckelew in Brief: March 2024

Danielle's Journey: Once paralyzed by psychosis, now living independently

Danielle was in her late 20s with two young children when she experienced her first onset of psychosis. Voices kept telling her to do things she didn't want, and they would not quiet. Intrusive thoughts and flashbacks to past trauma overwhelmed Danielle with anxiety and paranoia. Acts of daily living, even washing her hair, frightened her. Gripped by depression, Danielle lost her job and was hospitalized twice. But that’s not where Danielle’s story ends.

When we first met Danielle, she was living with her parents and feeling shut down. Yet she hoped to get an apartment, find a job and possibly pursue a college degree. Through Buckelew's Sonoma County Independent Living Program, her dreams shifted to reality.

UPDATED: March 21, election results announced

It was just announced that California's Prop. 1, the mental health bond measure, very narrowly passed. It is the first major update to the state’s mental health system in 20 years. Voters who cast ballots in the March 5 election were nearly evenly split (50.2% yes votes to 49.8% no votes), an incredibly close margin that had our community watching and waiting during the last two weeks of vote counting.

Why was the vote so close? San Francisco Chronicle reporter Sophia Bollag reached out to Buckelew CEO Chris Kughn for insight about that and the measure's potential impact on service providers like Buckelew. Read her article here.

Giving Marin Honors Maternidad y Esperanza

Giving Marin Community Partnership awarded a record $100,000 to 16 nonprofits this month, and Buckelew is thrilled to be among them. The generous grant will support Maternidad y Esperanza (Motherhood and Hope), our bilingual program that provides compassionate support for Latina mothers struggling with postpartum depression and trauma. We are deeply grateful to all the community-minded businesses that make up Giving Marin!

We’re also honored that Healthy Petaluma (formerly known as the Petaluma Health Care District) recently awarded Buckelew Programs an operating grant for 2024. Thank you, Healthy Petaluma!

Pictured above: Giving Marin award ceremony with (left to right) Marin Independent Journal Publisher Rob Devincenzi; Buckelew CEO Chris Kughn; Mary Widdifield, Buckelew Director of Institutional Giving; Melissa Ayupa, District Director for Assemblymember Damon Connolly. Photo by Douglas Zimmerman, courtesy of Giving Marin.

Mother Nature: Your Partner in Mental Wellness

Spring has sprung and our region is literally blooming with opportunities to connect with nature – including on May 11 at our annual Bike + Hike 4 Buckelew event in gorgeous Miwok Meadows. There’s growing evidence that outdoor activities have powerful therapeutic benefits. That’s why many of our programs bring clients on walks in open space and even paddleboarding. Did you know:

🌲 Walking 90 minutes in nature versus an urban setting decreases activity in a region of the brain associated with depression (source: Stanford University research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science)

🌲 Visiting nature three to four times a week is associated with 36% lower odds of using blood pressure pills, 33% lower odds of using mental health medications and 26% lower odds of using asthma medications. (source: 2024 study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine)

🌲 Outdoor activity can be even more impactful when done with other people – boosting mood, self-confidence and a sense of community. 

If you’re looking for a chance to test it out, join us on May 11, when nature can nurture you while you bike, hike or simply bathe in the beauty of Miwok Meadows at our annual Bike + Hike 4 Buckelew fundraiser. Join the move-ment to provide access to mental healthcare for all!

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