July is BIPOC Mental Health Month
Formally recognized in June 2008, Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was created to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard to mental illness in the United States. Bebe Moore Campbell was an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities.
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for racial and ethnic minority groups to get access to mental health and substance-use treatment services.
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Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 18th!
Join the Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 18th!
The Juneteenth Celebration, presented by the Juneteenth Committee of Ventura County (JCVC), is taking place on Saturday, June 18 at Plaza Park in Oxnard. This holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
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Empower Up! Mental Wellness Event for Teens & Young Adults
Join us for arts and stories in the courtyard – performance, inspiration and community connections.
In person or livestream!
Saturday, June 4th, 2022
11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Oxnard Performing Arts Center
Register now at www.vcbh.org/empower
National Prevention Week
National Prevention Week (NPW) is a national public education platform bringing together communities and organizations to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.
Through National Prevention Week, people become more aware and able to recognize the signs of mental health and substance use disorders. Community members learn how they can help build community, strengthen resilience, and create hope to keep those around them healthy and safe.
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NAMIWalks Your Way Ventura County - May 21
By joining or donating to our VCBH All Stars Team you are contributing to increasing awareness of and raising funds for mental health. United we are stronger and together we can help to build and serve a stronger community.
Please see the link to support our VCBH team.
Alcohol Awareness Month
Alcohol Awareness Month takes place in April every year. It offers communities a chance to gain more understanding of how individuals struggle with alcohol abuse, offers advice and help for those affected, and highlights the serious health issues caused by alcohol.
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National Prescription Drug Take Back Day - April 30, 2022 – 10AM To 2PM
The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
In Ventura County, more than 200 people die each year from opioid overdoses. Prescription painkiller abuse, rising heroin use, fentanyl and accidental opioid overdoses are part of a nationwide crisis.
Ventura County is actively engaged and committed to preventing prescription drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the County works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), in collaboration with Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), established a countywide Rx disposal program that allows residents to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired Rx medication via secure, confidential disposal bins. Learn the signs of overdose and how to take action. Find Disposal Bin locations near you.
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National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week® , March 21-27
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®, or NDAFW, is an annual, week-long, health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. It provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners—to help advance the science, so that we can improve the prevention and awareness of substance misuse in our own communities and nationwide. It was launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism became a partner in 2016, and alcohol has been added as a topic area for the week.
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March is Women's History Month
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.
The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma California in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
Women's History Month Theme
The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2022 theme is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." This theme is "both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history."
Learn more:
A Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2022, The White House