New Leader of Northern California Behavioral Health Nonprofit Brings Extensive Background in Health and Public Policy
SAN MATEO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — The Board of Directors of Caminar has announced the appointment of Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH, as Chief Executive Officer of the $39M nonprofit behavioral health organization. Dedicated to empowering and supporting individuals and families with complex needs to move toward resilience, wellness and independence, Caminar serves more than 20,000 people each year in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.
Cloutier has dedicated his career to increasing access to quality health and supportive services and improving communities’ overall health and well-being. With Master’s degrees in public policy and public health, Cloutier has held leadership roles in health and behavioral health services organizations and foundations, including Horizons Services, San Francisco Foundation, the Center for Youth Wellness, Kaiser Family Foundation and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
“In addition to top caliber leadership experience, we sought a CEO who has vision for and commitment to the work of Caminar,” says Suzan Getchell-Wallace, President of the Board of Directors of Caminar. “Mark believes strongly in the comprehensive services we offer and the importance of offering optimal care to the communities we serve.”
Founded in 1964 in San Mateo County, Caminar has grown significantly over the last two years in response to the growing complexity of behavioral health needs affecting the communities it serves. With a five-county service area encompassing San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano and Butte counties, the organization delivers programmatic innovations and solution-focused services that address fundamental issues affecting the health of individuals and families, including mental wellness, addiction recovery, family violence and homelessness.
“Improving the health of communities begins with understanding the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social determinants of health in predisposing individuals, families and communities to poor mental health and physical health outcomes,” says Mark Cloutier, CEO of Caminar. “Caminar is in a unique position to address the comprehensive needs of individuals, families and communities though our trauma informed, evidence based clinical services and our collaborations with government, nonprofit and community institutions to focus on and remedy root causes.”
In order to best serve the increasingly complex needs of individuals and families, Caminar has been evolving toward a whole person care approach, in which the essential factors underlying a person’s health, from physical and mental wellness through housing and employment, are addressed holistically.
Recent mergers have advanced this aim by adding complementary programs and expertise to Caminar. Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley, based in Santa Clara County, brought expertise in adult substance use treatment, family violence prevention, school-based counseling programs, adolescent mental health services, and programs for LGBTQ communities. The addition of Healthy Partnerships, based in Solano County, enhanced the organization’s continuum of care in the county by expanding mental health services and adding adolescent and adult substance use treatment services. Project Ninety, based in San Mateo County, expanded the organization’s substance use treatment and recovery services capacity in the region.
Cloutier started in the role of CEO on January 31, 2019.
About Caminar:
Founded in San Mateo, California, in 1964, Caminar serves more than 20,000 individuals annually in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. The nonprofit organization’s portfolio of behavioral health and supportive services empowers and supports individuals and families to move toward resilience, wellness, and independence. The continuum of prevention, treatment and recovery services includes residential and outpatient mental health and substance use treatment services, youth development, supportive housing, vocational rehabilitation and supported education.
More information about the organization is available at: https://www.caminar.org/
Learn More: https://www.caminar.org/
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