The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) was enacted into law January 1, 2005. This followed the passage of Proposition 63 in November 2004, which proposed a 1% tax on adjusted annual income over $1,000,000. This new stream of funding is dedicated to transforming the public mental health system and seeks to reduce the long-term adverse impact from untreated serious mental illness.
San Luis Obispo County s Behavioral Health Services Department (BHS) is slated to receive an additional $2.3 million annually as a result of the MHSA. This reflects an approximately 10% increase to its current annual budget.
To access the MHSA funds, counties are required to develop a three-year work plan to carry out the goals and objectives of the MHSA. This plan must be created in collaboration with clients, family members, providers, and other community stakeholders and circulated for public comment prior to being submitted to the California Department of Mental Health.
The following Community Services and Supports (CSS) Plan is a result of ten months of extensive stakeholder involvement. It represents new and expanded programming in order to improve the quality of life of persons most in need of care and will facilitate the following outcomes:
- Meaningful use of time and capabilities, including employment, vocational training, education, and social and community activities
- Safe and adequate housing and reduction in homelessness
- A network of supportive relationships
- Timely access to needed help, including times of crisis
- Reduction in incarceration
- Reduction in involuntary services, institutionalization, and out-of-home placements
The services proposed in the Community Services and Supports Plan also incorporate the fundamental concepts needed to ensure system transformation:
- Community collaboration
- Cultural competence
- Client and family driven systems and services
- Wellness focus, including recovery and resiliency programming that assists individuals in leading a fulfilling and productive life with optimism and hope
- Integrated services that are coordinated between agencies