Forging Ahead
Amie Miller, PsyD., Executive Director
With Prop. 1 now officially enacted by voters, the planning you’ve been doing for many months will take on new meaning. Creative problem solving to meet the needs of your communities is what defines public mental health delivery, and CalMHSA’s team stands ready to help you find those solutions in this new reality.
With two-thirds of your Mental Health Services Act funding now required to be used for housing and services for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorder, the landscape of care delivery has changed once again. But I have faith in the power of our collaboration; working together, we can navigate the uncertainty with resourcefulness and resolve.
When the state created the Behavioral health Services Quality Improvement Program (BHQIP) milestones as part of its CalAIM initiative, we partnered in ways we hadn’t before, and the results speak for themselves. With BHQIP now wrapped up, we offer in this issue of the newsletter a recap of how our teams worked together toward your milestones and incentives.
This issue of the newsletter also includes a reminder about the value and importance of Peers in behavioral health – with an inspiring set of testimonial quotes from newly certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialists. And, looking toward another set of requirements, read more to learn about the $875,000 we’ve received from the state to help counties participating in our interoperability program meet California Data Exchange Framework mandates this year, ahead of the 2026 deadline.
As you forge ahead to find new ways to continue the many programs and services you provide every day, 24/7 – with new demands on how to use your MHSA funding – we will continue to bring awareness to all you do with our “Hey Neighbor” messaging platform and campaign. Follow us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram to see it in action. If you’d like to use it on your own social media, the materials are available to counties at no charge; simply email [email protected].
We developed this messaging and the powerful visuals specifically to uplift the behavioral health community – to help educate Californians about your work and to support your workforce, letting them know that their capacity for care and commitment do not go unnoticed.
March 29, 2024