BAKERSFIELD, CA - A grand jury report praises Kern County Mental Health for its efforts in treating those with serious mental illnesses.
The Grand Jury singled out the Consumer Family Learning Center on Stockdale Highway, calling it a "hidden gem" in the community.
The center helps people with mental illness beyond their medication.
"People with serious mental illness are really stigmatized. They're really not welcome in society in many ways by a lot of people. So the Consumer Family Learning Center is a place for people to go where they can kind of re-engage and be around other people who are also recovering from serious mental illness. It's a way for people to get a life, get back into life," said Dr. Jim Waterman, director of Kern County Mental Health.
Participants learn a variety of skills to become productive in society.
There are two other Consumer Family Learning Centers, one in Tehachapi, the other in Ridgecrest.
The Grand Jury singled out the Consumer Family Learning Center on Stockdale Highway, calling it a "hidden gem" in the community.
The center helps people with mental illness beyond their medication.
"People with serious mental illness are really stigmatized. They're really not welcome in society in many ways by a lot of people. So the Consumer Family Learning Center is a place for people to go where they can kind of re-engage and be around other people who are also recovering from serious mental illness. It's a way for people to get a life, get back into life," said Dr. Jim Waterman, director of Kern County Mental Health.
Participants learn a variety of skills to become productive in society.
There are two other Consumer Family Learning Centers, one in Tehachapi, the other in Ridgecrest.