RAMS Peer Transition Team Receives 2023 MHSA Team of the Year Award

The RAMS Peer Transition Team is a five year Mental Health Services Act Innovation Project that launched in 2019. With a team of up to seven advanced-level Peer Counselors, the project has been providing vital peer support in the field to support clients in graduating from Intensive Case Management programs across the San Francisco Behavioral Health System of Care. This year the program was recognized for this amazing work!

Our RAMS Peer Transition Team, from left to right: Ansar Muhammad, Peer Counselor; Greg Broyles, Lead Peer Counselor & Co-Founder; Nancy Esteva, Lead Empowerment Service Coordinator; Mick Robinson, Peer Counselor & Co-Founder; Qiyanna Love, Community Partnerships Manager & Co-Founder. Not pictured: Gavin Young, Service Coordinator at Chinatown/North Beach MH; Moinnette Harris, WITS Peer Counselor; Mike Donofrio, Lead WITS Peer Counselor.

Examples of the peer support provided include accompanying clients to provider appointments, supporting case management, providing peer counseling using the team’s lived experiences with mental health and/or substance use recovery, and linking clients to resources that can help stabilize them in the community.

Since its launch, the project has received over 130 client referrals. Over 80 clients have exited the project and there is a 64% success rate of clients moving into an outpatient level of care. This is a 400% increase from the previous data that showed a 16% rate!

Contributed by: Qiyanna Love, Community Partnerships Manager, Division of Peer-Based Services