Oct 19, 2023
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, is announcing a second round of funding to improve access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services within nonprofit DHCS-licensed substance use disorder (SUD) facilities. The 18-month contract for each funded residential facility will be between $250,000 to $550,000.
The effort is a collaborative learning opportunity for facilities to implement best practices. Funding will support recruitment, mentorship, training, and other costs associated with increasing provider knowledge and ability with delivering MAT. Applicants may apply for one of two tracks:
Track One: Initiating MAT Services
This track is for residential SUD facilities with a DHCS license that includes Incidental Medical Services (IMS), and those that intend to apply for or will receive IMS certification within six (6) months of the project start date. Track one will fund organizations that do not currently have a MAT prescriber onsite or do not offer MAT services onsite.
Track Two: Expanding Existing MAT Services
This track is for residential SUD facilities with a DHCS license that includes IMS certification and that has a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Schedule III Provider onsite. Track two is for organizations that want to increase the expertise of current providers and expand MAT services.
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a residential SUD facility licensed by DHCS located in the state of California.
- Be a nonprofit, DHCS-licensed and adult or youth residential SUD facility.
- Have received IMS approval or a commitment to receive the IMS approval within six months of project start date.
Grant Award Amount
- Between $250,000 and $550,000, dependent on facility size, for each funded nonprofit.
Deadlines for Applications
- Applications are due by Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 1 p.m. PST
- You can access the RFA and online application here.
Please email us at centergrants@shfcenter.org with any questions.
Aug 22, 2023
SACRAMENTO — California, through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), today announced it will expand Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to jails and drug courts. The $2.9 million funding announced today will go to 29 counties to support the development or expansion of access to MAT.
“California is committed to ensuring that justice-involved individuals receive Medication Assisted Treatment to reduce unmet treatment needs in criminal justice settings. This project supports county jails and drug courts with best practices to engage individuals with an opioid use disorder and provide treatment,” said DHCS Director Michelle Baass.
Why This is Important
By bringing county teams together in a learning collaborative, county agencies and providers serving justice-involved residents can more effectively coordinate and further build system capacity to ensure access to effective treatment and recovery supports. This expansion will better serve residents in need, and MAT, specifically, has been shown to reduce criminal activity and reincarceration to better serve the entire community.
What They’re Saying
- Sacramento County Department of Health Services, Adult Correctional Health: “With the assistance of this training and guidance, health and custody staff feel more informed and have greater buy-in overall to implement new processes surrounding MAT.”
- Solano County Sheriff’s Office: “The learning collaborative has been directly responsible for Solano County being able to implement MAT in our jails.”
- Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office: “Santa Cruz County has benefited from the learning collaborative by having experts readily accessible to offer best practices regarding MAT in our jail systems.”
Additional Information
The MAT in Jails and Drug Courts Project is funded through the state General Fund through June 2025. Grant funds and participation stipends are available to all California counties interested in developing or expanding access to MAT for opioid use disorders in their jails and drug court systems. Counties participating in the project will receive technical assistance through individualized monthly coaching, topic-specific webinars, and quarterly learning collaboratives.
Bigger Picture
This project builds upon the previous “Expanding Access to MAT in County Criminal Justice Settings” and “County Touchpoints for Access to MAT for Justice-Involved Individuals” programs and complements the Systems of Care project, all funded through federal State Opioid Response (SOR) I and II grants. From 2018 to 2022, 39 counties participated in these projects, representing 67 percent of California’s counties and 83 percent of the state’s population.
More information about the MAT in Jails and Drug Courts Project and a list of awarded counties, as well as information about previous projects, is available on the Addiction Free CA webpage.
Aug 21, 2023
Due Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 5 p.m. PST
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is releasing a Request for Applications (RFA) to support California non-profit organizations to expand access and utilization of behavioral health recovery services through a health equity approach that seeks to remove barriers to care for communities of color, Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and others who have faced discrimination and unequal access to behavioral health care systems.
Application Information:
Request for Applications
Apply Online
RFA webinars will be hosted on Tuesday, August 22, and Wednesday, August 23, at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Send questions and inquiries related to this funding opportunity to recoveryservices@shfcenter.org with the subject line: HEAR US RFA Question.
Jul 31, 2023
SACRAMENTO – The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has made more than $41 million in grant funding available to tribal and community-based organizations to expand youth substance use prevention programs. Organizations can apply for grants up to $1,000,000 to implement the Elevate Youth California (EYC) program in low-income communities of color, prioritizing organizations with a demonstrated track record of effectively and equitably serving individuals in these communities.
“Elevate Youth California is a funding opportunity designed to overcome programming gaps and focus on youth from communities of color and other marginalized populations impacted by the war on drugs, criminalized for substance use, and with historically low access to prevention services,” said Jacey Cooper, State Medicaid Director and DHCS Chief Deputy Director for Health Care Programs. “With each round of funding, DHCS continues to expand the number of youth and young adults receiving youth empowerment, mentoring, and peer support services.”
Why This is Important
This funding opportunity is part of DHCS’ broader plan to strengthen California’s substance use prevention programs. EYC aims to empower community-based and tribal organizations throughout California to use evidence-based and community-driven practices for substance use disorder prevention among youth and young adults ages 12 to 26.
To date, DHCS has awarded nearly $206 million through 290 grant awards. This Request for Application marks the fifth consecutive year of funding to support widespread implementation of the EYC program. Applications are due by August 28 at 1 p.m. (PDT). Once awarded, EYC program grantees will be funded from November 16, 2023, through November 15, 2026.
Community Impact of Grants
- “Elevate Youth California has enabled us to provide the desperately needed healing spaces for our youth and young adults, who are often left out of critical programming after age 18,” said Ami Admire, Executive Director of For the People. “We are extremely thankful to Elevate Youth California for providing the resources, supporting the work, and sharing in our vision for healed youth and families in California’s tribal communities.”
- “Elevate Youth California funding has created a transformational opportunity for our organization to grow in our ability to support authentic youth engagement and partner with youth to lead efforts that support community healing and the prevention of youth substance use disorder,” said Daisy Lopez, Senior Director of Program Services of California Health Collaborative. “The impacts have trickled throughout our organization, providing the support and training to engage our teams statewide to lead culturally rooted youth development efforts that promote youth voice and youth agency.”
Services Supported by EYC Grants
The EYC program provides DHCS-funded grants to youth- serving tribal and community-based organizations with records of effective and equitable service delivery that will:
- Empower youth to create policy and system changes through civic engagement, specifically in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.
- Implement culturally and linguistically proficient youth development, peer support, and mentoring programs that are healing-centered and trauma-informed.
- Prioritize harm reduction and public health solutions that create resiliency and prevent substance use disorder.
Additional Background
EYC began in 2019, and DHCS has since announced and awarded four funding rounds. Four cohorts were awarded through the standard track program focusing on policy, system, and environmental change through youth activism, mentorship, and peer-led support. Three cohorts were awarded through capacity building grants, with a focus on strengthening the operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational structure of youth-serving community-based and tribal, grass roots organizations. One cohort was awarded through the innovation track, with a focus on evaluating youth-serving entities with innovative approaches to policy, systems, and environmental change through appreciative inquiry. These grants are made possible through funding from the Proposition 64 Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention, and Treatment Account of the California Cannabis Tax.
EYC creates access to healing-centered, culturally proficient programs in rural and urban communities that have historically been impacted by the war on drugs. In fiscal year 2023-24, DHCS has invested more than $100 million in funding to support statewide substance use prevention programs, with approximately $57.8 million in primary prevention funding allocated to county behavioral health agencies through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, $1.6 million in funding to support statewide implementation of the California Friday Night Live program, and more than $41 million in the EYC program.
For more information about the EYC program, visit ElevateYouthCA.org.
Jul 21, 2023
SACRAMENTO– As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $1 billion Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has awarded $12.1 million to 54 entities through the Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Prevention for Communities of Color Project.
“Awardees will use their funding to increase community understanding of opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance use, reduce stigma, and increase access to treatment services through referrals and partnerships,” said DHCS Director Michelle Baass.
Project Goals
The project directs funding to entities that have demonstrated they can effectively and equitably serve individuals in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities who are disproportionately impacted by the negative consequences of drug use and the criminalization of substance use disorders (SUD). These communities include Native American, African American, Latino, and Asian-Pacific Islander communities and often have less access to treatment and information about opioid and stimulant use and supports.
The project is designed to overcome gaps in access through the following expected outcomes:
- Increase individual and community understanding of opioids and opioid use, stimulants and stimulant use, and/or polysubstance use in BIPOC communities, prioritizing harm reduction and public health solutions that focus on positive messages to prevent SUD.
- Reduce community and individual stigma of people who use drugs and care and treatment services.
- Increased knowledge of treatment services, particularly Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and stimulant use disorder treatment, including where and how to access services, as well as integrating and strengthening referral pathways to community SUD care treatment providers to prevent or stop disordered use.
Why This is Important
In California, from October 2020 through September 2021, more than 3,296 people from BIPOC communities died from opioid-related overdoses, accounting for 46% of deaths. Communities of color have faced historical and ongoing trauma, systemic racism, and criminalization.>
This trauma is perpetuated by the lack of investment in community-based prevention, intervention, and treatment access, especially for culturally responsive, healing-centered, and trauma-informed approaches, and by the ongoing stigma related to seeking SUD treatment in American culture.
Broader Effort
This project is part of DHCS’ broader efforts to address SUDs, collectively known as the California MAT Expansion Project, to increase access to MAT, reduce unmet treatment needs, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities. MAT is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders and can help some people sustain recovery. For more information, please visit the DHCS website.
Bigger Picture
Since coming into office, Governor Gavin Newsom has dedicated more than $1 billion in funding to fight the opioid crisis by removing opioids from the streets, providing resources to California communities in need, and increasing education and awareness to prevent harm in the first place. In fiscal year 2022-23, DHCS invested more than $558 million in various opioid prevention and treatment grant activities.
Award Details
The project has a total of $12.1 million in available funds awarded to 54 entities, with a maximum of up to $250,000 per entity for the 12-month contract period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
Jul 3, 2023
SACRAMENTO – As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $1 billion Master Plan for tackling the fentanyl and opioid crisis, California today awarded $5.7 million for opioid and stimulant use education and outreach in Two-Spirit/LGBTQ+ communities.
“California has an all-hands-on-deck strategy for tackling the fentanyl and opioid crisis impacting every community across our state and country,” said Governor Newsom. “Education and outreach are critical tools in our arsenal – to prevent tragedy, to connect people with treatment, and to fight the life-threatening stigma that stops too many people from getting help. The best way forward is together – leaving no one alone in this battle.”
Grant Impact
The grants will be used to increase awareness and education, for and within 2S/LGBTQ+ communities, about opioids and stimulants, decrease stigma related to drug use and treatment, and integrate and strengthen treatment referral pathways for opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder.
“Awardees will support 2S/LGBTQ+ organizations’ outreach and education activities for opioid use and stimulant use disorders, while creating tangible links to services and treatment providers within their communities,” said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “These organizations are focused on the 2S/LGBTQ+ community, striving for health equity through culturally and linguistically appropriate prevention and education projects.”
Award Details
This funding opportunity awards $5.7 million to 25 entities, with a maximum of up to $250,000 per awarded entity for the 12-month contract period from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
Why This Matters
More than 1.8 million individuals in California identify as part of the 2S/LGBTQ+ population. “2S” refers to “Two-Spirit,” which is a Native American concept referring to sexual and gender diversity. Compared to heterosexual individuals nationwide, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults report higher rates of stimulant use and substance use disorders (SUD). In 2019, 1.4 million LGB adults, nationally, reported illicit opioid (prescription pain reliever, fentanyl, heroin, etc.) use. Some factors contributing to opioid use and stimulant use in the 2S/LGBTQ+ community include mental illness, the risk of experiencing violence, structural stigma, and discrimination.
Broader Effort
The project is part of DHCS’ broader efforts to address SUD as part of the California MAT Expansion Project, a holistic effort to increase access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), reduce unmet treatment needs, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities. MAT is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders and can help some people sustain recovery. For more information, please visit the DHCS website.
Bigger Picture
Governor Newsom has dedicated more than $1 billion in funding to fight the opioid crisis by removing opioids from the streets, providing resources to California communities in need, and increasing education and awareness to prevent harm. In fiscal year 2022-23, DHCS is investing more than $558 million in various opioid prevention and treatment grant activities. Earlier this year, Governor Newsom announced the state would begin the process for creating its own Naloxone – through the CalRx Initiative – to make the lifesaving drug more accessible and more affordable across California.
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