Redesigning California's Behavioral Health System

Since 2019, California has embarked on investments and policy reforms to re-envision the mental health and substance use system, collectively known as the behavioral health system.

The State has invested more than $10 billion in resources to strengthen the continuum of community-based care options for Californians living with the most significant mental health and substance use needs. This proposal will complement and build on California’s other major behavioral health initiatives, including but not limited to the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, the California Behavioral Health Co​mmunity-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Demonstration proposal, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis and 988 expansion, and the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP).

Californians voted to pass Proposition 1 to address remaining gaps in the continuum of care for the most vulnerable Californians, including new funding for housing, community-based residential care settings and the behavioral health workforce, refining the Mental Health Services Act to stretch limited dollars and meet the needs of those with the most severe mental health and/or debilitating substance use conditions, and strengthen county accountability and statewide access to behavioral health services.

The two legislative bills that created the language in Proposition 1 are:

• Behavioral Health Services Act SB 326
• Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act AB 531

We look forward to working with the legislature, system and implementation partners, and a broad set of stakeholders, including those impacted by behavioral health conditions, in considering these reforms.

Stakeholder questions and input can be sent to BHReform@dhcs.ca.gov.

For more information, visit the Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Transformation webpage.

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