DMH Programs Video Profiles
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health provides services to children, youth, adults, and older adults of all ethnicities through directly operated programs in the County’s 8 Service Areas, ranging from the high desert of the Antelope Valley, to the crowded Downtown and Harbor areas to the diverse communities of South, West, and East LA, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. All programs emphasize hope for clients struggling with these complex disorders through the provision of varied services supporting wellness and the vision of long-term recovery.
West LA
Edelman Mental Health Center is the only DMH operated center in West Los Angeles, an area in which the poor, homeless, and troubled, live only a short distance from the wealthy and upwardly mobile. Edelman offers many creative activities for clients to pursue to increase their sense of self-worth and opportunities for social interaction.
Untitled LA Poem, by Laurel Ann Bogen
The palms flatten
against chance hot winds
we bore in for the duration
rigid
the palms yield
to our touch
oh Los Angeles
we are your spawn
whim and hope
our eyes pan
one another
for the right side
the solid profile
Your face screens huge
I cannot reach behind
for the yes
the hungry yes
we need so much
we cannot even touch
the palms
of our hands
tight fists
we hold it in
we hold it in
Copyright Laurel Ann Bogen 2011. All rights reserved.
Laurel Ann Bogen, an Edelman client, is the author of ten books of poetry and short fiction. Her New and Collected Poems is forthcoming from Red Hen Press. Since 1990, she has been an instructor of poetry and performance for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, and received the Outstanding Instructor of the Year award in 2008. Well known for her lively readings, Bogen was named “Best Female Poet/ Performer” by LA Weekly. Her work has received several prizes and has appeared in over 100 literary magazines and anthologies.