(President & CEO)
About SABH Foundation
Welcome to the South Asian Behavioral Health and Training (SABH) Foundation Inc., a distinguished 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in California. Established in January 2009 by Dr. Harmesh Kumar, a seasoned clinical neuropsychologist with four decades of experience, SABH Foundation is committed to serving Californians of all ages by providing comprehensive medical and mental health services for physical, developmental, mental, and geriatric issues.
Our Inspirational Beginning
SABH Foundation’s journey started with a deeply personal narrative. Dr. Kumar’s journey began with his father’s health crisis where his father suddenly fell ill with an abdominal infection and ended up hospitalized. After a month in the hospital and another few months at a skilled nursing facility, his father developed multiple health issues like heart issues, hearing problems, and even a stroke. However, after Dr. Kumar transferred his father to his own assisted living facility, his condition drastically improved as he received services in his own language and cultural context and ate the ethnic food he always enjoyed. This event underscored the critical need for specialized care for senior citizens and served as the catalyst for the foundation’s mission.
Transformative Care and Cultural Sensitivity
Our foundation was born from Dr. Kumar’s realization that elders can thrive with culturally informed and evidence-based care after seeing how his father’s health and longevity drastic improved almost overnight. With this experience, Dr. Kumar also became acutely aware of the physical, emotional, and financial strain of caring for an ailing elderly parent, providing for his own family while attending to his daily professional duties as a mental health professional. He was also aware of the strain and burnout his care givers experienced. This understanding led to the development of an ongoing on-site emotional support system, not only for those under SABH Foundation’s care but also for the emotional well-being of our dedicated staff. Through this approach, we not only enhance the lives of those in our care and their loved ones but also contribute to significant cost savings by minimizing unnecessary medical expenses, staff burn out and compassion fatigue.
Through his community work with elders and people with disabilities, Dr. Kumar observed the unnecessary financial burden placed on taxpayers due to ambulance transport for minor issues. As a startling statistic, a typical ambulance ride can cost over $3000 per ride. By leveraging clinical observations and caring staff, we identified subtle physical signs contributing to behavioral challenges as well as how medication side effects led to severe cognitive and psychotic symptoms. This insight empowered us to provide individualized training for our staff, resulting in improved well-being for residents, thus enhancing confidence among their families.
Creating a Harmonious Environment
Our commitment to creating a tranquil and supportive atmosphere extends beyond addressing medical needs. Our facilities offer a diverse range of activity programs, fun outings, fresh daily meals based on recommended diet, and weekly live entertainment and spiritual groups, fostering an active and healthy lifestyle for our residents as well as staff and loved ones. We take pride in cultivating an environment where everyone, regardless of background, finds a sense of belonging.
About the Founder
Dr. Kumar, a licensed clinical psychologist, boasts a distinguished career that began in 1983 with the World Health Organization at the Collaborative Center for Mental Health and Research, Department of Psychiatry, and College of Nursing, PGIMER in Chandigarh, India, where he taught psychology at the bachelors and masters. After migrating to the US in search of better opportunities and despite facing challenges as a new immigrant, in the land of opportunities (USA), he was able to begin his first non-profit mental health agency under the name of “Neurobehavioral and Psychological Institute (NPI)” in 1993 ,and which was later changed to the Hume Center He also later taught two graduate courses at Rose bridge Graduate School of Integrative Psychology. Driven by a passion for service, he has owned and operated skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across multiple counties in California.
Devotion to Research and Philanthropy
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Kumar has dedicated himself to research in neurobehavioral and neuropsychological areas and philanthropy. He received an initial SBIR grant of $100,000 for six months from the National Institute of Health to develop a computerized neuropsychological screening battery for dementia in the elderly, although this did not proceed to the next phase of the grant due to limitations in testing olfactory senses through computers at that time. Outside of psychology, some of his community involements include serving as a member of the Advisory Council for the India Community Center (https://www.indiacc.org), as president of the Federation of Indo-American Associations of Northern California, commissioner and chair for the City of Concord on the Human Relations Commission for five years, member of the City Budget Finance Committee for Concord (Measure Q), commissioner for the Mental Health Commission of Contra Costa County, a member of the Board of Directors of Monument Community Partnership (MCP) for five years, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ik Onkar Peace Foundation. He also has participated in the Cooperation Circle of United Religions Initiative, where as a trustee, he attended the World Parliament of Religions in Barcelona, Spain to spread the message of universal love. Additionally, h also had served on the Executive Committee of Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County for almost 15 years and is still an active member of the Interfaith Council.
In addition to multiple positions, he has accolades for his community involvement and professional achievements, such as the HIND RATTAN (Jewel of India) Award by Non-Resident-Indians Welfare Society of India in 1996 and a Certificate of Recognition by the Senate of the State of California on August 15, 2002. He has been recognized by multiple local, county, state, and federal agencies including a recognition letter by President Bill Clinton for his dedication to public service.
Continued Advocacy and Leadership
Dr. Kumar’s leadership extends to political engagement, having run for several local, county, state & federal offices. Recently, he recently was a candidate of US Senate in 2024. He also ran for Governor of California in 2018. He does community outreach on local radio program called “Emotional Healing with Dr. Kumar” and now on American Time TV in San Francisco Bay Area. He remains an active member of interfaith communities, especially the South Asian community, championing love, universal well-being, and cultural preservation by reconnecting American-born South Asian children to their roots and promoting South Asian culture while also incorporating the positive aspects of the American way of life.
He also worked for five years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Program to serve the underserved inmate populations. He advocates for housing, jobs and suitable social rehabilitative opportunities for those who have served their times.
SABH Foundation Inc. proudly embraces an ancient biopsychosocial and spiritual humanistic model, ensuring the holistic care of our patients, their family members, the seniors entrusted to our care and their loved ones—a mission that reverberates through the larger fabric of society.