Crestwood Behavioral Health

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Crestwood Behavioral Health

Crestwood Behavioral Health is proud to be California's leading provider of mental health services, assisting thousands of clients in the state.

Crestwood promotes wellness and recovery by providing quality and cost effective programs in a socially responsible manner, and works with families and communities to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Crestwood’s values – family, compassion, commitment, enthusiasm, flexibility and character – drive the work that we do every day at all of our facilities. Our staff members embody these values and they serve as the foundation of the programs and services we provide.

08/29/2026

Crestwood's Peer Support Workforce

"The Curtain"
by Chris Martin, Crestwood Sr. Director of Learning and Performance

I carried a weight that caused me some hurtin’,
Mostly from the pain of not being certain.
Wasn’t sure about tomorrow and doubted today,
Dwelled on the don’t have’s that darkened my way.

I toted this burden day in and day out,
Tossing and turning and fretting about.
I went through the motions of living my life,
Behind a veil of sadness, sorrow, and strife.

Then one night I dreamt I was walking this road
With my back bent over from my usual load.
I met this sage who was Ancient in Days,
Greeting me in the most pleasant of ways.

He had a way of being present, knowing my pain,
And was willing to listen and let me explain.
I poured out my heart about the darkness around me,
Of the past, present, future, and all that I can’t be,

The Wise One then pointed to others who were hurtin’,
Hopelessly standing before a tightly closed curtain.
Their faces were sullen as they reached left and right,
Grasping toward the curtain at faint glimmers of light.

I wondered why they didn’t pull that dark curtain back
To get the light they needed and the things they lacked.
I asked the Wise One, “Why’s the curtain so strong
For keeping them in the dark and struggling so long?”

He said, “The threads in the curtain are stitched with ‘don’ts.’
Riveted with ‘can’t haves,’ ‘can’t do’s,’ and just ‘won’ts.’
It’s hemmed in with ‘nevers,’ ‘nothings,’ and ‘no’s.’
Then fastened with grumbling and mumbling about woes.

Yet all is not lost, they’re not doomed to lose,
They have strength in perspective and willingness to choose.
If they look for what’s positive to anchor their hope in…
Then thankfulness will come and the curtain will open.”

I suddenly woke with no curtain in sight;
My burden was lifted; my world filled with light.
The other thing gone… was my bad attitude -
I now say ‘YES’ to life; I have renewed gratitude.

08/26/2026

Wellness at Work Comes to Shoreline!

Contributed by: Greg Parnell, Director of Recovery, Education, Advocacy and Leadership; ALF; Health & Wellness Facilitator; and Zumba Instructor

I had the pleasure, or should I say honor, of facilitating five Wellness at Work sessions with all the Shoreline Departments. Shanel Mayo also co-facilitated two of them. (Thanks for the support!)

I have to say, I was completely blown away by this group. Their participation, their passion, their enthusiasm was off the charts!

The first group was remote over a two-day period, and we were still able to make connections and do great work. The next four sessions were all in-person, and it was so great to meet everyone. Some I knew by email or just in passing. But I tell you; it takes a village. We need Shoreline so that we can function. We should never take that for granted. Hip Hip Hooray Shoreline!

Below are just a few quotes from some of the participants:

How was this workshop beneficial to you?
It brought a common concern of numerous things we can experience on a daily basis and provided tools to use to be the best we can be for ourselves and the job we were hired to do – reminders of ways to handle the down days. Also reminded me as a new hire to speak up so that I have the right tools and always advocate for myself.

List some ways you will be more intentional about increasing & maintaining wellness at your place of work:
• Breathe and be mindful of words and actions.
• Identify my triggers and learn how to approach them better.
• Continue to learn and acknowledge mentors in learning.
• Understanding the stress associated with the job and handle it with being open minded so I understand where they are coming from with the big picture and speak up when things are not clear.

This was an outstanding workshop and Greg is amazing. I really feel like I made a group of friends that I look forward to seeing at the July picnic. What an asset Greg is to the Crestwood Family. So proud to be a part of the team!

I would like to share…I have never worked with a company that is so mindful of wellness and gives us the right tools to handle that in a work environment. In the short time I have been here, it has been such a warm and caring atmosphere. It says a lot about a company that provides this and cares about the wellness of all their employees and clients. With this workshop, I will use numerous things I learned and was reminded again when things get rocky, I will also celebrate the small things and not just the big things!

Great Workshop. It’s great to take a break from “normal” work and focus on our individual intentionality and how to prioritize Wellness. It’s easy to put Wellness on the back burner.

Keep it up! It’s great to teach employees in a group setting. I don’t know what a follow up session looks like, but I’d be interested.

This workshop was beneficial:
• Showed me more about myself
• Showed me how to better myself
• Showed me how to take better care of myself
• Most triggers & stressors are across the board
• Personal Responsibility in depth
• How to show up for my team in ways the team wants
• Be the best version of myself

Loved the training & the energy you guys brought.

It provided a safe space as well as new tools for me to utilize in stressful situations when it comes to work life as well as home life. It also gave me the chance to interact with peers at different roles and remind myself that we are all human and that I am not alone.

08/21/2026

Chelsea Kodama Speaks at the California Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative Meeting!

Contributed by: Chelsea Kodama, Crestwood Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Manager

In honor of July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also known as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Mental Health Month, I attended the California Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative meeting as a guest speaker. CMHSI is a statewide initiative that supports the spiritual and faith-based needs of individuals and families in public mental health recovery. I shared how Crestwood joined the core workgroup to help create CMHSI in 2006 and fast forward to 20 years later, Spirituality is one of our Foundational Tools and core program elements, including one of our four Pillars of Recovery. I also thought it was important to highlight our policy and procedures, the monthly Spirituality Power Hour Zooms hosted by the REAL Team, and the Spirituality and Faith training session created by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team.

08/18/2026

Thanksgiving in July at Crestwood Santa Barbara CRT!

Since 2023, Crestwood Santa Barbara CRT has been serving Thanksgiving dinner in July to our persons served, staff, and referring partners. We began this tradition to honor a person served who had never tasted a Thanksgiving dinner and have continued every July since.

The magic of the holidays has a way of bringing cheer and joy, thus why we are celebrating during a time of the year where holiday cheer does not immediately come to mind. Continuing this tradition has not only been fun for our staff, but it also adds to the therapeutic environment for all the people we serve. Persons served enjoy a feeling of community, family, safety, and hospitality at a time when they may be feeling most vulnerable. We hope to continue this unique tradition for years to come!

08/15/2026

Crestwood is Now a Certified B Corporation!

To be a Certified B Corporation means an organization is dedicated to business as a force for good and meets the highest standard of corporate social responsibility, environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Crestwood believes we must be the change we seek in the world. For more than 58 years, Crestwood has been deeply committed to creating a positive impact on our communities and environment and has been demonstrating this by being an Associate Member of the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), as well as a Public Benefit Corporation, so the next step in our journey was to become a Certified B Corporation.

Companies who score above 80 are invited to become a Certified B Corporation; and we are thrilled to be certified with a score of 105.3! Our score reflects our Certified B Corp mission of being dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, social integration, empowerment, wellness and recovery of individuals who are affected by mental health issues, thereby reducing the stigma associated with them. We do this by providing quality and cost-effective programs in a socially responsible manner, in collaboration with families, communities, and public and private entities.

Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The Certified B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, Certified B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.

Maintaining our Certified B Corporation status will challenge us to be continuously dedicated to our sustainable practices and reminds us to constantly consider how we are affecting our employees, community, and the environment.

Check out our Crestwood Certified B Corporation page at:
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/crestwood-behavioral-health-inc/

To learn more about B Certified Corporations, visit www.bcorp.com

08/13/2026

A Message from Patty Blum, Crestwood Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President

Enthusiasm

August is the month when we savor the sunshine, longer days and the joyful and lighthearted spirit that summer conjures up. It is the epitome of enthusiasm which is one of our Crestwood values and demonstrates our strong pride in ourselves and a natural enthusiasm for the work we do. This celebration of enthusiasm was recently on full display at our Dietary Directors Annual Conference held in Sacramento. We brought together our Dietary Directors from across the state to share stories of successes, challenges, strengths, resilience and recipes.

I want to share one element of this conference that illuminates a wonderful example of our value of Enthusiasm. This group of Dietary Directors, with the support of Margaret Clayton, our Director of Nutrition and Wellness, are one of the most tenured leadership teams in our organization. Most of these leaders have been a part of our Crestwood family for more than 10 years. They are diverse, experienced and willing to share their hospitality, as well as their creativity and thoughts, which are valued characteristics for Crestwood leaders. I asked them why they stay with Crestwood; what is it that keeps them here for 10, 15 and even 27 years and here are some of their responses:

• The people we serve, the residents, and guests.
• My staff, both my kitchen staff as well as the staff we work with.
• The teamwork to make our meals and nourishment.
• Crestwood is family
• I love what I do.
• I’ve worked with lots of other companies; Crestwood is the best I have ever worked with.
• The culture at Crestwood
• Flexibility
• Commitment to what we do. We do what we say.
• Teamwork and coordination.
• Great leadership.
• I feel valued.
• Crestwood takes care of their employees.
• Overall support from leadership for what we do and for us.

These insights and reflections are what inspire enthusiasm at Crestwood. Like the rest of our amazing staff and teams across Crestwood, they represent our values and truly exemplify servant leadership.

We can all ask ourselves the question of why we are working for Crestwood. What keeps us coming in every day and year after year and for some of us, decade after decade. Your responses may be similar, and you may have additional inspiring insights to add. I want to thank all our staff for showing up every day and bringing the hope, joy and enthusiasm in all that you do for our persons served and your co-workers. We are blessed to work with you!

07/30/2026

National Intern Day is July 30!

To all of our amazing Crestwood interns: Thank you for showing up, asking questions, sharing your ideas, and becoming part of the Crestwood family. Your contributions matter, your growth inspires us, and we are grateful to be part of your professional journey.

07/29/2026

Crestwood's Peer Support Workforce

"Storing Light in a Hurting Jar - A Lesson from the Fireflies"
by Chris Martin, Crestwood Sr. Director of Learning and Performance

One warm summer evening when fireflies were lighting up my grandparents’ farmyard, my seven-year-old sister had a brilliant idea. Since she was a year older and a lot wiser, I usually followed her lead. And this time she proposed we collect as many fireflies as we could and put them into a large mason jar. We figured if we could fill the jar, we would have a light so bright and powerful, it would light up a room in the house - maybe even two. So we asked our grandfather to nail holes into the lid of the mason jar; then we stuffed grass into the bottom so the fireflies had something to eat. We figured they ate grass.

By the time our bedtime neared, we must have stuffed about a hundred fireflies into that jar. But the light wasn’t as bright as we had expected. The fireflies weren’t all blinking at the same time. In fact, some seemed not to light up at all. All of them were crawling around the jar like they were looking for an opening. We decided we would need to collect many more the next night. But our grandfather had a different idea. He told us that by keeping them in a jar overnight, we would be hurting them. So we reluctantly opened the lid and let them go.

Years later, I learned that fireflies actually light up to keep from being hurt. Their light wards off predators by reminding them they don’t taste good. This is due to a chemical in the fireflies’ bodies called lucibufagins. The other purpose of their light is to help them connect and communicate with each other to procreate. Perhaps an irony is that it’s also their light that sometimes gets them put into hurting jars by children on warm summer evenings.

I’ve discovered that the human heart can sometimes be like a hurting jar. Our light can be dimmed when we stuff in real or perceived hurts. It lowers when we measure and get measured against others instead of remembering we’re sisters and brothers. It gets faint when we keep a tally of every wrong while the burden gets heavier and the list becomes long. It can start to flicker when we focus too much on being right rather than being light. You see, I know what it means to hold onto a hurting jar; do you?

So what does it take to open it up so our light can reach its connective and creative purpose? The most difficult part is loosening the lid, especially when it has tightened over time. It can take a lot of strength to turn it toward the right. And that right way is sometimes about doing the hard work of forgiveness or maybe it’s just about forgiving ourselves. It can be about generously giving grace and looking for what’s good and positive in everyone. It takes a strong resolve to overcome the reluctance that contains our light. But as we let it go, it ends up freeing all that can be hurting us on the inside. And as always, love makes the turning around a lot easier.

When we release our light, then we can shine it so brightly that it will not only illuminate our way, but also give light to the path of others. So the next time you watch the fireflies light up the sky on those warm summer evenings, you can be sure that someone somewhere has opened up another hurting jar. And the proof is in all that light.

07/25/2026

Spotlight on Annie Franklin - 30 Years of Service

This month, Annie Franklin celebrates 30 years with Crestwood! Annie started at Crestwood Center Sacramento in 1996 as an on-call CNA. She was promoted to full-time and advanced to Senior Counselor. Annie became Team Lead and after 6 years transitioned into the HIM Coordinator position. She worked in that position until January 2026, when she transferred to the Corporate HIM Team.

Adrain Smith, Administrator at Crestwood Center Sacramento, shared his thoughts about Annie since he worked with her for many, many years. Here is what Adrain shared:

“Annie Franklin is very committed to what she does. She is very direct and persistent to get things done, and is very supportive, collaborative and resourceful. She has very strong spiritual convictions and is highly compassionate for others and the people we serve. Annie truly, genuinely, really, really cares! All her years of experience working for Crestwood at Crestwood Center Sacramento helped her develop a profound knowledge base and a lot of wisdom and character. Annie is definitely someone you want on your team as she is a mover and doer.

When I came aboard as Administrator of Crestwood Center Sacramento in 2018, I added Annie to the Leadership Team due to her many years of experience and knowledge. This was one of the best decisions I have made as the Campus Administrator. Annie was a highly respected and beloved member of our Leadership Team. She definitely goes above and beyond and is still open to learning and growing. As much as it is a tremendous loss for our Campus not to have Annie anymore, I knew it was only a matter of time and well deserved that she advance and move forward in her career and so I am so thankful that this continued to be with Crestwood. Annie Franklin, 30 years of service and still going! Well done you good and faithful servant!!”

Crestwood's HIM Team members shared their thoughts and words that describe Annie. “Annie constantly seeks to add to her knowledge and enhance her skill sets so that she will grow and benefit others. She is always looking to understand the ‘why’ in everything that we do because she cares about the details. Annie is always willing to help explain things. She makes time to help. She brings a positive attitude to the team. She is always willing to lend a hand when needed. Accomplished. Warm. Friendly. Open. Humble. Funny. Kind. Dependable. Approachable.”

When not working, Annie enjoys volunteering her time. She says it gives her a sense of purpose. Annie has been volunteering with the Sacramento Raiders youth football and cheer for 14 years. She is on the Board as the Cheer Director. Annie has a grandbaby that will soon turn one. She said she now understands how grandparents feel. She loves crafting, building things, and spending time with her family and her stubborn dog, who she refers to as “Bad.”

We love you Annie! Congratulations on a wonderful 30-year career (and counting) with Crestwood!

07/23/2026

Crestwood Solano House is Open!

Crestwood is proud to announce that our new Solano House program, located at 2261 S Watney Way in Fairfield, officially opened on July 15, 2026! Solano House is funded through a partnership with Solano County Health & Social Services Department, Behavioral Health Division. The program serves adult residents from the County who are experiencing mental health issues and need residential rehabilitation treatment so they may take an active role in reaching their recovery potential.

The campus supports 32 adults in two, 16-bed Community Care Licensed (CCL), Adult Residential Facility (ARF) programs and provides services for justice-involved individuals who have been appointed by the mental health court and individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

Visit the webpage for Crestwood Solano House to view a video tour of the campus:
https://www.crestwoodbehavioralhealth.com/location/solano-house

Address

520 Capitol Mall, Ste 800
Sacramento, CA
95814

Telephone

+19164712244

Website

https://www.crestwoodbehavioralhealth.com/

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