The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved the Riverside University Health System’s one-year “bridge” contract with a San Diego-based marketing firm to manage ongoing media campaigns aimed at suicide prevention and related mental health awareness efforts.
In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on RUHS-Behavioral Health’s request to maintain a long-standing agreement with Civilian Inc. until the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, 2026. The agreement is retroactive to July 1 of this year.
“Civilian … promotes mental health, youth suicide prevention and awareness of adverse childhood experiences,” according to an RUHS statement posted to the board’s agenda Tuesday. “They developed a media campaign to increase public understanding of mental illness and reducing stigma associating with mental illness.”
The bridge compact became necessary after the previous three-year agreement with the company lapsed while RUHS was in the process of developing a “competitive procurement process” for future media campaigns emphasizing how residents can get help dealing with mental health challenges, according to Behavioral Health Director Dr. Matthew Chang.
Civilian has managed the county’s “It’s Up to Us Riverside” campaign since 2011. The bilingual outreach utilizes electronic media to disseminate information on how to find resources to prevent suicide, resolve substance abuse issues and promote positive outlooks to combat depression.
The campaign, which is modeled on one that San Diego County has run for several decades, maintains a 24-hour help line at 951-686-4357. Additional information is also available at up2riverside.org/.
The current yearlong agreement with Civilian will cost $1.84 million, all of which will be drawn from RUHS’ fiscal year budget. No General Fund revenue will be required, officials said.