Mental Health Collaborates for the Future
A comprehensive, complex process is underway, engaging numerous community members to plan the use of funds from the new Mental Health Services Act. Consumers, parents, professionals, and community members are working together now in a fast-moving public collaboration to envision new and expanded Mental Health Services. Your involvement is invited.
In November of 2004 California voters passed Proposition 63, which imposed a 1% tax on people making $1 million or more to pay for new and innovative mental health services. The law was enacted as the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) in January 2005. Sonoma County will receive about $3.7 Million annually from the MHSA for Community Services, with lesser amounts to come later for Education, Prevention, and Innovative Services. That sounds like a lot, but will be spread very thin when all needed services and populations are considered. These new monies come at a time when funding for existing services is shrinking, but the MHSA funds may not substitute for losses elsewhere. They must create new or expanded services to meet demonstrated needs.
Groups are meeting in July to plan for Children, Transitional Age Youth, Older Adults, Underserved Ethnic Minority Populations, Housing, Homelessness, Forensic Services, Crisis Services, Consumer-Operated Services, and Co-Occurring Disorders. A plan will be formulated by a Steering Committee based on the input of these community groups, and issued in September by the County Department of Health Services, Mental Health Division. A 30-day public comment period will then begin. Once the final plan is submitted to the State, hopefully in October, the California Department of Mental Health has three months to approve it. If all goes smoothly, funds should be allocated in January of 2006. State funds can be allocated later if the process or plan is delayed.
The County has hired Harder & Company as consultants to help facilitate and manage the comprehensive community planning process. For an update on the status of planning, hearings, or meeting dates and places, and how you can participate, visit http://www.sonoma-county.org/mhsa, or call Carol at 707-565-4908. Everyone is invited to join the discussions, review and comment on the report, and help envision and create a mentally healthier future for Sonoma County.