Purpose

Definition: Purpose defines why the CiMH exists.

CiMH works to improve mental health systems and services in California in order to promote wellness and improve client outcomes.

Core Values

Definition: Core values define what is essential to CiMH’s success. The “we statements” define the behaviors needed to support each core value.

The core values of CiMH are:

A. Customer Responsiveness

1. We view everyone as our customer, both internally and externally.
2. We acknowledge contact with our customers within 24 hours.
3. We work collaboratively with our customers to analyze their needs.
4. We proactively offer support and assistance to our customers.
5. We listen to our customers and adjust our services based on their input.
6. We measure our customer responsiveness and practice continuous quality improvement.

B. Hope, Wellness, Resiliency, and Recovery

1. We look for opportunities to promote hope, wellness, resiliency and recovery with our customers, potential customers and the general public.
2. We incorporate hope, wellness, resiliency and recovery in all our projects.
3. We consistently advocate for consumer and family inclusion at all levels of the mental health system.
4. We involve consumers and family members in the design and implementation of our projects.
5. We work to understand healthy communities and natural networks and to integrate that understanding into our work.
6. We develop and maintain a high level of knowledge about hope, wellness, resiliency and recovery practices, including practices that are culturally specific.
7. We include consumer and family members in the governance and staffing at CiMH.

C. Empirically-Informed Approaches

1. We value diverse approaches to building and developing evidence for scientific investigation.
2. We are committed to being scientifically driven, because consumers have been harmed by untested assumptions, theories, and practices.
3. We promote practices that integrate consumer and family member choice, clinical expertise, and empirical findings.
4. We promote the dissemination of empirical findings to assure fully-informed decision making on the part of consumers, family members, and mental health stakeholders.
5. We promote full disclosure of the empirical basis when selecting and implementing evidence-based practices.
6. We research and promote practice-based evidence.
7. We promote the explicit investigation and development of cultural and environmental accommodations and adaptations.
8. We promote ongoing evaluation to assure that consumers are receiving positive and equitable outcomes.

D. Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion

1. We respect and appreciate the gifts of difference, including age, culture, ethnicity, language, disability, sexual orientation and gender identification.
2. We reflect our commitment to cultural inclusion in the planning, designing, and implementation of our projects.
3. We promote equitable access to quality care.
4. We reach out to understand and address the needs and wants of un-served and under-served individuals and communities.
5. We are committed to increasing the level of linguistic access in our projects, events and publications.
6. We are committed to cultural inclusion in the hiring and retention of our staff.
7. We are committed to increasing the cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills of our staff and our Board of Directors.

E. Financial Sustainability

1. We foster strong partnerships.
2. We maintain a balanced budget.
3. We assure all our projects have balanced budgets with adequate financial margins.
4. We have diverse funding sources.
5. We develop and maintain an adequate reserve.
6. We assure the timeliness and accuracy of our financial reports.
7. We are entrepreneurial in finding new business opportunities and funding sources.

F. Innovation

1. We engage in innovative practices at CiMH.
2. We promote an environment that encourages diverse viewpoints.
3. We commit resources to the development and piloting of innovative projects.
4. We solicit input on project design, development, and implementation from diverse sources.

G. Quality Workplace

1. We attract and retain talented people.
2. We promote leadership in our organization.
3. We promote continuous learning and quality improvement.
4. We welcome people into our organization.
5. We promote a healthy work place.

Measures of success tied to the core values are in the Performance Scorecard.

See also: Our Vision