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Approve and present a plaque of appreciation honoring Andrew Moore Williamson, Mental Health Services Manager, upon his retirement from the Department of Health & Social Services, Behavioral Health Division with 14 years of dedicated public service to Solano County (Chairwoman Hannigan)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ___ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ___ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Health and Social Services (H&SS) recommends that the Board approve and present a plaque of appreciation honoring Andrew Moore Williamson, Mental Health Services Manager, upon his retirement from the Department of Health & Social Services, Behavioral Health Division with 14 years of dedicated public service to Solano County.
SUMMARY/ DISCUSSION:
Andrew Moore Williamson started work on December 16, 2004 as an extra-help Registered Mental Health Clinician. He was assigned to the Successful Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Treatment (SMART) team, a behavioral health outpatient unit which serves California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) participants who have mental health, domestic violence and/or substance abuse problems that prevent them from successfully obtaining or maintaining employment. Upon being hired in a full-time, permanent Mental Health Clinician position on September 27, 2005, he was assigned to the substance abuse assessment and referral unit in Vallejo.
After he passed the test for licensure and was promoted to a Licensed Mental Health Clinician, Mr. Williamson applied for a Mental Health Clinical Supervisor position and assumed that role August 24, 2008. Mr. Williamson was promoted to Mental Health Services Manager on July 7, 2013 where he has served as the County’s designated Substance Abuse Administrator, overseeing the Substance Abuse programs, the Substance Abuse provider network, and the SMART team.
As the Substance Abuse Administrator, Mr. Williamson is responsible for overseeing the contracts of community based organizations that provide outpatient and residential services to Solano County residents that struggle with addiction. This includes overseeing, from 2011 to 2017, the successful Women’s Recovery Achievement Program (WRAP) for women in jail and during their re-entry to the community. He has also provided clinical supervision in partnership with the Solano Superior Court to their case managers that work with clients served in Drug Court. His role has required interfacing with the Courts, Sheriff, Probation, and other County departments. Nowhere is this collaboration more critical for successful service delivery than in his role as project director for the Proposition 47 grant (Prop 47) that was received in 2017. Designed to fill critical gaps in the substance abuse service delivery system, Prop 47 funds supportive housing when it is a barrier to clients achieving successful outcomes in substance abuse treatment. The project also adds additional detox and residential treatment bed capacity, a case manager to follow a client throughout their levels of care and recovery, legal resources to support housing or employment success, and connections to the faith community for social support. This project prioritizes the population exiting jail and is critical for their success as they re-enter the community.
As the country deals with an opioid crisis, Solano County has been working proactively to address opioid issues. Mr. Williamson has been a member of the Opioid Coalition and was instrumental in getting Medication Assisted Treatment into the County via the “hub and spoke” model which is designed to build capacity through multiple providers countywide to treat opioid addiction. Recently, he championed staff training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based trauma treatment, to help reduce some of the triggers for substance abuse. Upon retirement, he plans to use EMDR in clinical practice.
Mr. Williamson approaches his work with self-deprecating humor coupled with being a strong advocate for people that deal with addiction. His personal challenges and triumphs created a passion for this work, which drew him away from his first career as doctoral researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The cost associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2019/20 Adopted Budget. The costs associated with preparation and purchase of the plaque are included the Board’s FY2019/2020 Adopted Budget.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose to not approve this plaque of appreciation; this is not recommended because this is an opportunity to recognize Andrew Moore Williamson for his dedication and service to Solano County.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
There were no other agencies involved in the preparation of this report, though Mr. Williamson has worked collaboratively across many County departments in his tenure with Solano County.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION