This week, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released a new
report, “Building
California’s Behavioral Health Infrastructure: Progress Update
and Opportunities for the Proposition 1 Bond.” The report
examines the Behavioral
Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), which was
established through the 2021 budget to help address the statewide
shortage of behavioral health treatment facilities, and reviews
the allocation and outcomes of the $1.8 billion in awards already
made ahead of the $3.3 billion of Proposition 1 bond dollars that
the Administration seeks to start allocating in May. The report
concludes with various questions and considerations the
Legislature may consider for oversight of these funds, including
assessing which program changes may be merited for the
administration of these bond dollars.
Of note, the LAO report raises critical questions on how BHCIP
awards align with capacity needs across the state, potential
barriers that prevent small counties from receiving funding, and
how the scoring preference for launch-ready projects, as
well as the administrative complexities of the program, may
hamper efforts to stand up new behavioral health facilities in
communities with the highest needs.
