Feb 8, 2022
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has released a fact sheet with information about the Behavioral Health Response and Rescue Project (BHRRP), a new project aimed at increasing access to behavioral health care for all Californians. The fact sheet provides information about planned project activities and timelines. DHCS, along with project administrators, plan to release new funding opportunities through BHRRP over the coming months. BHRRP’s goals include:
- Expanding access to behavioral health care in California through investments in the workforce, mobile crisis care, recovery services, and preventative care.
- Advancing health equity across the behavioral health care system by targeting the needs of the most vulnerable communities, including those in crisis and experiencing first episode psychosis.
- Informing policy decisions through research and data analysis on the behavioral health workforce, the behavioral health continuum of care, and the overall effectiveness of BHRRP programs
BHRRP is funded by supplements to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For more information, visit the BHRRP website.
Feb 3, 2022
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently released a letter that summarizes changes to California law to increase access to harm reduction services and remove criminal penalties that prevent people from accessing services.
Key points:
- Anyone may possess an unlimited number of syringes for personal use in California. No one should be arrested, prosecuted, or denied services based on syringe possession for personal use.
- Anyone may possess safer drug use materials, including pipes and other non-injection drug use materials, when acquired from a syringe services program (SSP). SSP participants are exempt from criminal prosecution for possession of such items, and the law does not require documentation of having acquired the materials from an SSP.
- State and local government authorization of SSPs is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
View the letter.
Jan 18, 2022
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2022-2023 Budget proposes additional funding to support providers and communities responding to the opioid crisis. The Budget, released on January 10th, includes funding targeted to the opioid crisis response and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion Project. Specifically:
- The Budget includes $96 million General Fund in 2022-23 and $61 million ongoing General Fund for the MAT Expansion Project. Additional MAT resources would be targeted towards expanding the Naloxone Distribution Project, supporting 100 new MAT access points statewide, expanding MAT in county jails, and increasing MAT services within state-licensed facilities.
- In addition, the Budget includes one-time $86 million opioid settlement funds which will be dedicated to a public awareness campaign targeted towards youth opioids education and awareness and fentanyl risk education ($50 million) and improving the state’s ability to collect and analyze data on opioid overdose trends ($5 million) for the Department of Public Health, provider training on opioid treatment ($26 million) for the Department of Health Care Access and Information, and distributing naloxone to homeless service providers ($5 million) for the Department of Health Care Services.
A summary of the budget.
Jan 10, 2022
The Youth Peer Mentor Program (YPMP), one of the youth-focused initiatives of California’s MAT Expansion Project, recently released a final report on the program’s outcomes and accomplishments over the past year. Continuity Consulting (CCI) launched YPMP in 2019 with the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to train justice-involved youth to provide substance use recovery support to their peers, through mindfulness-based interventions. The program also helps youth peer mentors prepare for certification as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist or Registered Alcohol or Drug Technician. As a next step, the Youth Peer Mentor Program plans to expand programming to new locations, including drug courts and schools. Read more about the program, and the newly trained youth peer mentors.
Jan 10, 2022
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is using available federal grant funding for a prevention and recovery services project for LGBTQ2S+ communities throughout California. Funding is available for LGBTQ2S+ organizations to develop or expand upon prevention, education, and recovery services for opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorders while creating tangible links to treatment services and providers.
Eligible organizations must:
- be located in California
- Be licensed/registered to do business in California
- Be a public entity or 501 (c)(3) organization (fiscal sponsors are allowed)
- Provide services in California
- Be mission-focused on providing services to the LGBTQ2S+ community in their area
Applications are due by January 28th at 1 p.m. PT.
Please email any questions to MATaccesspoints@shfcenter.org.
Nov 4, 2021
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is pleased to announce the release of the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) County and Tribal Planning Grant, which will help county agencies and tribal entities across California to initiate and support behavioral health facility planning efforts in their communities. Grants will be for up to $150,000. With the BHCIP goal to expand behavioral health infrastructure capacity statewide, this grant is the second in a series of six rounds of funding available to applicants. The RFA for the BHCIP County and Tribal Planning Grant is available here. Applications are due by November 30, 2021, 5:00 p.m. PT.
