Alameda County Proclaims Oct. 8 ‘Prayer’ Day

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors declared October 8 to be a “National Day of Prayer” effective today.

The proclamation was attached to a “National Mental Health Awareness Week” proclamation presented during Tuesday's regular meeting. 

Board of Supervisors President Keith Carson, who represents the county’s 5th district, was the chief proponent of the proclamation, according to county staff.

The proclamation declares that people who struggle with mental health problems may also be challenged by services that are not culturally responsive. It encourages county workers to identify spiritual practices of the person who wants to improve their mental health to ease rehabilitation goals.

Alameda County's Behavioral Health Care Services department publicly aligned itself with a statewide non profit organization called the California Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative in the proclamation.
 
The last paragraph of the proclamation reads:

“WHEREAS, clients/consumers, family members, providers, spiritual leaders and all other interested stakeholders can participate in efforts to unite in a collective effort to replace misinformation about mental health, erase prejudice, fear  and blame thereby reducing stigma and disparities to unserved, underserved and inappropriately served communities by offering prayers and positive meditative thoughts to help restore mental health wellness in America.”

When Patch called the county's Tri-City Community Support Center and asked how the office was reacting to the proclamation to pray, the staffer who picked up the telephone was not aware of its existence. 

"Uh…You’re calling a government organization," she said.  

Supervisor Richard Valle represents the interests of Newark, California to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. His office has not returned phone calls. 

To see the proclamation in its entirety, peruse the .pdf attached to these words.