BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT - A. YAMAMOTO

Authorize the County Behavioral Health Director to pay annual member contribution of $29,836.80 of County MHSA Prevention and Early Intervention Funds to CalMHSA for FY 2018-19.

SBC FILE NUMBER: 810

In April 2010, CalMHSA entered into a contract with DMH to administer three statewide PEI Projects on behalf of its member Counties. Most counties throughout California are member Counties. On October 4, 2011 the County Board of Supervisors authorized the County Behavioral Health Dept. to join CalMHSA, which allowed for the joint development and funding of mental health services and education programs as determined by the CalMHSA Board on a regional, statewide, or other basis. CalMHSA does not deliver services itself, but facilitates efficient use of resources for multiple Counties by providing group purchasing power, joint development of RFPs and contracts for services, reduced overhead through sharing of the expenses of admin. and reporting, and sharing research and strategies.  CalMHSA also provides its member Counties the ability to deal jointly with the Dept. of Health Care Services (MH Div.), Mntl. Hlth. Servs. Oversight Accountability Commission and the legislature. Under the Agreement, each member County has a representative on CalMHSA’s Board of Directors who is entitled to vote regarding general JPA governance and to govern Programs in which the County is participating.

One of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Components that every county was allocated funds to implement is the Statewide PEI Projects component. Through the funding from the JPA member counties via CalMHSA, multiple PEI projects have been implemented statewide. Some examples of the projects already implemented and ongoing have been initiatives such as the Anti-Stigma- Every Mind Matters Project and various Suicide Prevention and Awareness Initiatives utilizing social marketing strategies and education/informational resources. JPA member counties such as San Benito County Behavioral Health are interested in sustaining the statewide PEI projects but continued funding from the counties to CalMHSA is required to maintain the existing projects and to continue the development of new statewide PEI projects. 

It remains in the best interest of our County to utilize PEI Projects funds for Annual Membership Contribution to CalMHSA to use for PEI projects that have statewide value. CalMHSA membership funds will then be available to CalMHSA to continue their implementation of the statewide PEI projects.