Strategies for Outreach and Engagement for County BH and
Counsel/Court – Wednesday, July 10 at 9:30 am
A training for county behavioral health and counsel/courts on
Strategies for Outreach and Engagement in CARE is scheduled for
Wednesday, July 10 at 9:30 a.m. During the
session, presenters will offer best practices and practical
strategies for effective outreach and engagement to CARE
participants. All stakeholders are welcome to attend.
This week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) launched
a new web portal, PATHways
to Success, which features success stories and testimonials
from organizations, including counties, participating in
the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) initiative.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in collaboration
with UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, has created an
updated expenditure reporting form for cities and counties to
report on the use of opioid settlement funds. The form will open
on July 1, 2024, and will close on September 30, 2024. A
link to the form will be sent to the listed contacts for each
county and city on July 1, 2024.
An informational webinar, Mental Health for ALL: California’s
Behavioral Health Transformation, will take place on
Monday, June 3rd at 2:00 p.m.
Representatives from state agencies and departments will provide
an overview of California’s newly passed Proposition 1, the major
milestones, and how interested stakeholders can stay updated. The
presenting state agencies and departments will include:
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will host a public
webinar,
“Tools to Better Engage Eligible Members in CalAIM,” on
June 27, 2024, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm as part
of a series of Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH)
Collaborative Planning and Implementation (CPI) webinars. This
webinar seeks to achieve the following objectives for
participants:
The recording and materials for the first public listening
session hosted by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
on April 19, 2024, on Proposition 1 – Behavioral Health
Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024 Behavioral Health Continuum
Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 7 and Round 8: Unmet
Needs – are now available. This was the first of monthly
public listening sessions being held through October 2024:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced
a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to fix how calls are
routed through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Earlier this week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
and the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability
Commission (MHSOAC)
awarded $67 million to 99 organizations across the state to
expand early intervention programs and practices that provide
mental health and wellness services to children, youth, and young
adults.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is
requesting examples from local governments, continuums of
care, and community organizations that spotlight efforts to
prevent homelessness.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced it is
deferring implementation of the California Children’s Services
(CCS) Compliance, Monitoring and Oversight Program, including the
CCS Monitoring and Oversight Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between DHCS and county CCS programs, for one year, from July 1,
2024, to July 1, 2025.
This week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
published
quality ratings and imposed monetary sanctions on Medi-Cal
managed care plans (MCPs) that do not meet required performance
levels. The new MCP model contract took effect on January 1,
2024, and seeks to strengthen quality and health equity
requirements for MCPs.
On January 30, 2024, the Department of Health Care Services
(DHCS) and the California Department of Aging jointly published a
fact sheet for providers about Medicare behavioral health
benefits, including highlights of expanded services and provider
types available through Medicare.
Earlier this month, the California Health and Human Services
Agency (CalHHS)
released the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative
(CYBHI) 2023 Annual Report: “Implementing the Vision.”
On January 9, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
issued updated
COVID-19 isolation recommendations. As outlined in the
updated guidance, CDPH recommends the following actions to align
with common practice of other respiratory viruses:
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will open the
30-day application window for the Providing Access and
Transforming Health (PATH) Capacity and Infrastructure
Transition, Expansion, and Development (CITED) Round 3 on
January 15, 2024.
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) approved the Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax federal
waiver, which will allow the Department of Health Care Services
(DHCS) to move forward with implementation for the authorized
effective period, subject to any future changes in federal
requirements concerning health care-related taxes.
On December 11, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
provided certification of system readiness to the Department of
Finance to implement the Age 26-49 Adult Expansion of Full Scope
Medi-Cal benefits. The expansion will provide individuals who are
26-49 years of age with full scope Medi-Cal benefits regardless
of immigration status, subject to meeting all other Medi-Cal
eligibility criteria.
On Thursday, December 14 at 11:00 a.m., the Department of Health
Care Services (DHCS) will be hosting a training specific to the
CARE Act claiming process and sanctions process. This
targeted training is for Cohort 1 and Los Angeles County program
staff who have a role in the CARE claiming process, sanctions
process, fiscal/finance teams, and applicable project managers.
The training will be led by the DHCS Local Governmental Financing
Division.
Governor Newsom met the October 14 deadline to take action on measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk. To keep counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will be publishing a series of articles to spotlight those laws in each policy area. This week, the Health and Human Services policy area provides information on new laws affecting adult protective services, behavioral health, fentanyl misuse prevention and response, foster care, and other HHS programs.
Tomorrow, Los Angeles County will implement the Community
Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act. Qualifying
individuals or entities can petition the Superior Court of Los Angeles
County to help connect eligible individuals to an array of
services, including mental health and housing services, via a
CARE Agreement or CARE Plan established and overseen by a
judicial officer.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has contracted with
Health Management Associates (HMA) to provide Training and
Technical Assistance (TTA) and data collection and reporting
support for the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment
(CARE) Act. The following upcoming training sessions and
open-forum discussions are being offered in the following areas:
Data Collection and Reporting for Cohort I and Los
Angeles County Program Staff
On October 20, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
announced that the initial go-live date for the CalAIM
Justice-Involved (JI) initiative has been delayed six months from
April 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024. DHCS still
anticipates having a full two-year implementation period.
