The mission of the Connection Coalition is to reach and engage behavioral health community stakeholders in issues related to access to behavioral health services and supports.

The mission of the Connection Coalition is to educate and engage behavioral health community stakeholders on issues related to ACCESS to behavioral health services and supports; and promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With the goal of providing accessible, effective, sustainable, integrated behavioral health resources throughout CA that are evidence-based and recovery-focused, the following principles guide Connection Coalition’s engagement and advocacy efforts:

1. Medication: Eliminating barriers to ensure open and unrestricted access to medication, to include: timely access, safe use, effectiveness and affordability.
2. Parity: Aligning mental health and substance use disorder resources with other health care, and social service offerings is fundamental to providing equal access to an effective and accessible continuum of care.
3. Cultural Competence & Anti-Racism: Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entire behavioral health system is integral to providing effective, accessible and equitable offerings. This includes sustaining and increasing provision of CommunityDefined Evidence Practices.
4. Performance: Measuring performance and local impact is integral to identifying, providing, and scaling of accessible and effective programs throughout CA. Data that tracks the impact of behavioral health programs on individuals and communities (Children & Youth, Criminal Justice, Employment, Hospitalizations, Housing) is key to justifying and supporting local and statewide implementation and funding.
5. Prevention & Early Intervention: Widespread behavioral health education, prevention programs and messaging should reach all age groups, and be integrated into institutional settings (such as: schools, senior centers, work-settings, hospitals, religious institutions, wellness-centers).
6. Resources: Address lack of resources, including integrated, sustainable resources. Areas where inadequate resources negatively impact behavioral health include (but are not limited to): Schools, Supported Housing, Workforce, Rural Access to Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Jails and Prisons.

* The term “Behavioral Health” includes: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.

The mission of the Connection Coalition is to educate and engage behavioral health community stakeholders on issues related to ACCESS to behavioral health services and supports; and promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Medication

1. Pricing Transparency
2. Monitor/Resolve the DHCS Pharmacy Clawback Issue
3. Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
4. Eliminate Psychotropic Prior-Authorization Requirement
5. Monitor implementation to ensure access to psychotropic medications

Continuity of Care

1. Promote standardization of client information to ensure access to that information across
   systems of support and treatment to ensure continuity of care (universal intake forms,
   standardized assessments, standardized data collection).

Parity

Ensure the enforcement of SB 855 and SB 225.

SB-988

Crisis Continuum – Support policies which create a comprehensive behavioral health crisis continuum, including:

1. Policies and efforts that ensure the effective operation of all 988 call centers.
2. Development and expansion of the crisis response system.
3. Increased services and supports to ensure that all individuals in crisis have access to
   appropriate services and supports in the least restrictive environment.

Workforce

Advocate for policies intended to preserve and increase the behavioral health
workforce that advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

1. Workforce expansion to ensure that individuals who require services have access to
   those services.
2. Retention of the existing workforce (protect from burnout, ensure adequate pay, positive
   working conditions).
3. Promote peer employment throughout the behavioral health care workforce.

Housing

Promote policies that decrease the number of individuals with behavioral health
conditions who are unhoused, including housing that includes comprehensive, voluntary
services with a housing first approach.