Image of Morro Bay from Prefumo Canyon Road at sunset.
MHSA Annual Update Cover

Mental Health Services Act Annual Update and Three Year Plan Approved

Author: Frank Warren
Date: 1/5/2021 1:10:41 PM

The Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Annual Update and Three-Year Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-23 for San Luis Obispo County's Mental Health Services Act activities was approved by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.


The Behavioral Health Department is required to provide the State with an Annual Update to its Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) work plan and budget projection. The Annual Update provides data and reports on the wide variety of MHSA programs and activities for the previous fiscal year (2019-2020), as well as proposed changes and fiscal projections through 2020-2023.

MHSA is dedicated to transforming the public mental health system and seeks to reduce the long-term adverse impact from untreated serious mental illness. Details of the positive impact MHSA funded programs have had on our community can be found, in further detail, within the pages of the Annual Update.

Examples of this year’s Annual Update highlights include:

Of the 192 "Full Service Partnership" clients served during FY 2019-2020:

  • Homelessness of clients was reduced by 20%
  • Emergency room visits were reduced 58%
  • Jail days of clients were reduced 95%
  • Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) days were reduced 71%

In its second year of operation the Crisis Stabilization Unit increased stays by 22% and served 344 individuals, and there was a 15% reduction in crisis calls community-wide.

In 2019-2020, 830 youth and parents participated in the Middle School Comprehensive Project, a student assistance program, and demonstrated a 13% increase in protective factors and a 38% decrease in risk factors related to mental health. 

For more information on MHSA programs and results, please see the Annual Update here!