After two years of listening, planning, and building together, Orange County has community-designed Roadmap for supporting the mental health of every family with a young child—from before birth through age 8. Now our task is to come together across sectors and zip codes to build the connections that make that possible for every family, in every community.
A note on future updates: This will be the last stand-alone newsletter from the FIECMH Initiative. Going forward, recipients of this newsletter will receive updates from the Initiative in First 5 Orange County’s Quarterly Collaborative Newsletter, which highlights the efforts of work groups across First 5 OC. We’ll see you there!
In this issue:
- Coming Up: Next Community Update on November 20
- ICYMI: A Refresher on the July 10 Community Update
Coming Up: Next Community Update on November 20
Please Sign Up to Join Us!
At the November community update, we’re excited to have Dr. Sara Marchese preview the special feature on early childhood mental health that will appear in the next Conditions of Children in Orange County Report. We will also make space for others working on relevant efforts to share with the group. We hope to see you there!
Date: November 20, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Interpretation will be available. Please register by November 13 and tell us your needs on the registration form.
ICYMI: A Refresher on the July 10 Community Update
Current Progress and the Roadmap in Action
This past July, the FIECMH community gathered for an update on the project overall and a closer look at the work of some community partners whose work aligns closely with the Roadmap. Partners shared about their work with the Engaged Neighborhoods, and their efforts to make the continuum of care easier to navigate for families affected by Perinatal Substance Use Disorder. We also introduced a toolkit for folks who want to share information about FIECMH in their communities.
If you missed it and want to get caught up before the next update, you can watch the recording and view the slide deck below.
Questions or comments? Please email us: fiecmh@healthplusstudio.com
The FIECMH Initiative is supported by funding from First 5 Orange County.