Three people gathered in a classroom on a recent rainy afternoon listened intently as Derrick Cordero urged them to turn their negative feelings around.
Mar 19 2024KFF Health News
"Not all of us are going to speak about" pain, said Cordero, who is covered by Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, which insures low-income people. "But when one does, another does, and then next week another does, and it becomes like a connective tissue." In 2022, California started allowing counties to use Medicaid dollars to pay peer support leaders for their work, a benefit 51 of the state's 58 counties have adopted, according to the state Department of Health Care Services. To qualify, individuals must undergo training and get certified by the California Mental Health Services Authority.
Cordero was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in his 20s and was addicted to marijuana and methamphetamine throughout his adult life. Amid these challenges, Cordero took human services courses at Solano Community College and started to speak to high school classes about mental health and addiction. When that program ended, the loss of structure was destabilizing, he said.He missed his daughters' school graduations. His diabetes went untreated, and his addiction grew more severe.
"It was great to talk, and I can ramble forever," Cordero recalled. "She said, 'I think you can do better than that.'"Not every person who seeks mental health help is ready for or needs a therapist, but for those who do, groups and peer support can provide connection and community as they wait, said Emery Cowan, director of Solano County Behavioral Health.