Name: Karen Vicari
Email: Kvicari@mhac.org
Organization: Mental Health America of California
Section A:
A-II: Mental Health America of California supports the development of the Office of Social and Behavioral Health. This office will be instrumental in supporting the distribution of funds back to community-based organizations while meeting statewide population-based prevention goals.
A-IV: Mental Health America of California supports the identified priority populations for strategic investments. With 51% of prevention funding allocated to serving youth who are 25 years or younger, it may be helpful to create a more focused priority population just within youth that may include but are not limited to foster youth, justice involved youth, LGBTQ+ youth and rural youth.
A-VI: The Focused Statewide Behavioral Health Prevention Strategic Plan highlights CalHope, CalHope Warmline, and the CalHope Redline. This section must also call out the California Peer Run Warm Line run by Mental Health Association of San Francisco. The California Peer Run Warmline ensures individuals are connected to Peers with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, aligned with the intended priority population named in the guide to be served.
A-IX: Community Engagement Funds that support Community Engagement and Coalition Building must prioritize support and accommodations to stakeholders that face significant barriers to engagement. The County Policy Manuel on the County Integrated Plan outlines allowable uses of BHSA County Planning Funds for stakeholders. CDPH should similarly provide the same support for community stakeholders engaged as members of the public in the activities of the proposed CDEP Advisory Committee, Youth and Family Engagement Network, and Implementation Workgroup. Also, we recommend that CDPH funds be used for training and support for the members of these 3 committees to ensure they are fully prepared for meaningful committee engagement.
Section B:
Mental Health America of California thanks CDPH for recognizing the importance of disaggregated data and their commitment to provide technical assistance to local partners, “ensuring that data systems are capable of capturing disparities across race, ethnicity, language, disability, sexual orientation, and other key [demographics]”
Section C:
Community-Defined Evidence Based Practices and Evidence Based Practices Grant
Program: Thank you CDPH for your focus on CDEPs. This grant program will be vital to supporting disproportionately impacted communities and establish a permanent/reliable funding source for continued investments.
Trusted Messenger Campaign Grant Program: CDPH should explore ways the program can complement efforts with HCAI’s Behavioral Health Scholarship Program for Certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialists. There are similarities between the job duties of a Peer Support Specialist and the proposed purpose of a “Trusted Messager.” The Trusted Messenger Campaign Grant Program may provide an avenue to complete the peer training scholarship work requirements or provide financial relief for individuals unable to complete the work requirements.
Regional Implementation of Focused Strategies: The rural north and central valley face significant access barriers and behavioral health disparities. Mental Health America of California supports the regional implementation to ensure that rural and geographically isolated areas in California will not be excluded from the Statewide Behavioral Health Prevention Strategic Plan. Supporting CBOs in these areas will be crucial to ensure successful implementation of statewide prevention strategies.
Section D:
Alignment with other local planning processes could lead to more efficiency and fewer redundancies. However, a reduction in the number of stakeholder meetings also means a higher risk of limiting stakeholder input. Mental Health America of California cautions the streamlining of these processes without careful consideration of how stakeholders, especially those with lived experience, will engage.
Under the draft guide, Local Health Jurisdictions will receive consistent funding between FY 26/27 and FY 27/28. While we support consistent funding for the first two years, If the goal is to ultimately align local planning processes, funding towards Local Health Jurisdictions should reduce over time. The leftover funds should be reallocated to increase funding for CBO grants, Statewide Prevention Strategies, and Community Engagement.
General Comments:
Thank you CDPH for a meaningful community and stakeholder engagement process. The prioritization of funds to CBO’s shows that community input was not only heard but actually considered.
LIVE (LGBTQ+ Inclusivity, Visibility, and Empowerment) should be added to the CDEPS Advisory Committee. CAYEN (California Youth Empowerment Network) should be added to the Youth and Family Engagement Network. MHAC (Mental Health America of California) should be added to CDPH’s BHSA Implementation Workgroup.
Program
CDPH Values My Perspective: Strongly Agree
The Phase 2 Guide provides answers to the questions I have about the BHSA Population based prevention Program: Somewhat Agree
