Hello! My name is Mai (pronounced like “my”) and I am so happy to introduce myself as a new Community Health Planner with San Mateo County Health Policy and Planning (HPP). I’ll be working to move the Community Collaboration for Children’s Success (CCCS) forward and support our civic empowerment and health initiatives.

I come to HPP from First 5 San Mateo County where I helped plan and implement the Trauma- and Resiliency-Informed Systems Initiative for child and family-serving systems in our county. This initiative was born out of the growing research that a child’s exposure to trauma and toxic stress impact their health and success well into adulthood. Access to protective factors, such as supportive adult relationships and safe neighborhoods, are equally powerful towards promoting children’s mental health and well-being. 

In all four CCCS neighborhoods, lack of mental health support and trauma-informed services was identified as a top concern; this was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased stress and strain for so many. I’m encouraged by the work CCCS partners have taken to support youth mental health during this challenging time (see highlights in the CCCS portion of our newsletter). As we move forward with pandemic recovery efforts and a safe return to school, we will have even more opportunities to strengthen mental health supports for children, families, and those who serve them. I look forward to working with partners across sectors, in each of the CCCS neighborhoods, to address this need, as well as the other priorities previously identified by residents.

Please feel free to reach out to me at mle@smcgov.org to share ideas for implementing our CCCS neighborhood plans, get involved with our racial equity and civic empowerment work, or simply to introduce yourself.