September is Staff Appreciation Month at SSG. “This is a special opportunity to recognize and thank our staff for the teamwork, dedication and care they bring to their work every day,” said Exective Director Herbert K. Hatanaka. “Their combined effort and team spirit help to strengthren SSG’s reputation for service an excellence.” SSG allows eligible staff a ‘Staff Appreciation Day Off’ to be used on s seletced day in September or October with HR approval.
Month: September 2026
Statement from Special Service for Groups (SSG) on U.S. Attorney’s Office Announcement
LOS ANGELES, (9/16/2026) — Below is a statement from Special Service for Groups (SSG) addressing today’s announcements by the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding arrests and indictments.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners for their work to hold these individuals accountable. SSG has been working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and will continue to do so to ensure that any responsible individuals are held accountable.
“We have held ourselves to the highest standards for 75 years and will continue to do so as we work to help those in need across Los Angeles County.”
“Every dollar entrusted to us – federal, state, local, or private – must be protected and used as intended. Prevention protocols and compliance practices have been in place across the organization and SSG has taken further steps to strengthen them.
Tiffany Rodriguez Named Division Director for Weber Community Center
With more than three decades of experience in community mental health, Tiffany Rodriguez, LMFT, joined Special Service for Groups, Inc. in April 2026 as division director for SSG Weber Community Center in Los Angeles. Established in 2007, the Weber Community Center provides various services focused on mental health and community support primarily catering for at-risk children, adolescents, and their families. These include outpatient counseling, crisis intervention, and case management. Tiffany has successfully developed and launched new programs, strengthened established services, and led program design initiatives focused on improving outcomes for clients and communities. Throughout her career as therapist, clinical supervisor, manager, director, Tiffany has worked with a diverse range of populations and programs, including family reunification services, intensive mental health services, foster youth, families, individuals experiencing homelessness, residential treatment programs, and adult mental health services. “As our system continues to navigate ongoing Department of Mental Health changes, my goal is to help guide the organization through these transitions in a way that best supports our staff while maintaining high-quality services,” she said.
This past May, SSG Weber Community Center relocated to 5603 S. Central, Los Angeles, CA 90011.
Integrated Behavioral Health Team (IBHT) Closed
The Integrated Behavioral Health Team (IBHT), a division of Special Service for Groups (SSG) since 2013, officially closed its doors on June 30, 2026.
The closure marks the end of a transformative 13-year chapter in community wellness. The shutdown stems directly from funding priority shifts under the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). These systemic changes disrupted vital linkages between mental health providers and Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs). It ultimately ended IBHT’s capability to support mild-to-moderate clients and concluded its highly successful, mutually beneficial partnership with Los Angeles-based FQHC Eisner Health.
Since its inception, IBHT maintained a powerful, active presence across the greater Los Angeles area. The team focused heavily on expanding healthcare equity. Their integrated partnerships successfully overcame deep-seated cultural, economic, and language barriers that historically blocked vulnerable individuals from accessing counseling and treatment.
With the closure of the division, SSG bids a heartfelt farewell to longtime IBHT Division Director Carmen Chacon, LCSW.
Chacon leaves behind an indelible mark on the agency’s infrastructure. As an influential voice on SSG’s Quality Assurance Committee, her implementation of strict monitoring, evaluation, and high patient care standards was instrumental in securing the agency’s prestigious CARF certification.
On July 23, senior SSG division heads and colleagues gathered for a special luncheon to honor Chacon. The agency celebrated her fierce dedication to community wellness and her masterful leadership of a mostly bilingual Spanish-speaking staff. Through her guidance, this dedicated team delivered life-changing behavioral health services to limited English proficient (LEP) clients who otherwise might have fallen through the cracks of the healthcare system.
SSG Names Rex Hamano Chief Financial Officer
Special Service for Groups, Inc. has appointed Rex Hamano as Chief Financial Officer effective June 1, 2026. In this role, he will lead SSG’s financial strategy and operations within our large, diversified organization at the intersection of healthcare, social services, housing, and public financing. Responsibilities encompass financial stewardship, government reimbursement and contracting, risk management, capital allocation, and the financial infrastructure supporting organizational growth, governance, and scale. As a member of the Executive Management Team, Rex also contributes to enterprise-wide governance and regulatory matters and serves in an executive oversight and alignment capacity for HOPICS. Rex joined SSG in 2024 as a member of the Board of Directors.
