A Year of Change In 2017 – Moving Ahead In 2018!

By Paul Curtis

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I came on board with the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies(CBHA)! So much has happened and together we have accomplished a lot this past year. We have developed a new organizational approach to our policy and advocacy efforts with the creation of our new formal CBHA Policy Committee, which involved re-writing our by-laws to do so. This was incredibly important as the members of the Committee, which include board members and representatives of member agencies, are the true experts with what is going on in the field of behavioral health, and the challenges facing our members who provide mental health and substance use disorder programs and services across the state. Together we’ve developed a solid process for reviewing the issues that come up and developing answers and strategies to address them. For the first time, we developed a policy platform that establishes the top... (click header to continue reading)

Webinar 3 Is Now Available!

Implementing the ASAM Continuum of Care Under the DMC-ODS

Click header to go to CBHA website. Under 'Member Content', select 'Webinar Series' in the drop-down menu. Find webinar 3 and start watching!

CBHA is partnering with National Council to bring you Middle Management Academy. An in-person, 3.5-day group training program that offers management training customized for health care safety-net staff.

The Middle Management Academy is the only program of its kind for future health care leaders. Steeped in proven business strategy, MMA is an intensive, practical, and highly interactive training that helps participants understand what great managers do differently. Participants address real-world questions relevant to behavioral health.

“It improved my confidence working with conflict. I have a lot more confidence to speak up when something’s going down a negative track.” - Christina VanRegenmorter, Communication and Policy Coordinator, Centerstone Research Institute

“The Middle Management Academy was our best investment ever. We’ve seen the return in participants’ strong leadership, problem-solving skills, ability to define new direction, and contribution to the bottomline.”

- Susan Blue, CEO Community Services Group

MMA gives managers the skills they need to manage work and people, but it also connects them to the bigger vision of their organizations. Organizations that have sent their managers to the Middle Management Academy have realized the return in terms of results-driven management -reflected in improved workforce competency and productivity, effective decision-making, and focus on the bottom line.

Please contact Director of Programs and Operations, Sara Kahoalii at skahoalii@cccbha.org or

at (916) 557-1166 for more information.

Cancellation Policy:  No refunds will be given to cancellations made one week prior to any event date. Cancellations made in writing to response@cccbha.org three weeks prior to any event date will be refunded 50% of fees paid. A $25 administrative fee will apply to late registrations.

Share This! Get Covered in 2018

Covered California enrollment period runs from Nov. 1, 2017 - Jan. 31, 2018

A lot can happen in two weeks. How much? Well for starters, if everyone reading this shared this message, we could reach 1,000,000 people across California. That's huge! 

Health care coverage helps people stay healthy, and protects against life's curveballs. Covered California provides coverage for 1.4 million people in our state — but there are hundreds of thousands of people who still don't have crucial health insurance coverage. There are only two weeks left — are your loved ones covered? Start here: Our Health California

Peer Support: A Critical Component in Supported Housing

Jan. 26, 2 PM (EST)

A SAMHSA sponsored webinar developed under contract by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Evidence shows that individuals living with a substance use disorder and serious mental illness can achieve and sustain long-term recovery. To help these individuals, there are services and supports behavioral health providers and community leaders could develop and implement. Join the National Council to explore how peer support and housing strategies increase the likelihood of successful recovery.

Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) Regional Training

Feb. 26-27, 2018 | Tucson, AZ

Life in recovery is about prioritizing one’s health while adapting to challenges and change. It’s about connecting with a supportive community, embracing new roles and creating new health behaviors. But how do you sustain those behaviors to achieve a healthy mind and body? That’s where Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) comes in. WHAM training is a peer-led opportunity for people with chronic physical and behavioral health conditions to collaborate and develop person-centered health plans based on 10 science-based factors. As a train-the-facilitator program, participants are also instructed on how to be a WHAM facilitator and equipped with the tools needed to take the training back to clients and peers.

With kids’ health funding set to expire, families and doctors make plans

The Childrens Health Insurance Program is healthcare for kids whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private healthcare. If Congress doesn't reauthorize it, the program starts to run out of funding on Friday, leaving up to nine million children without coverage. Doctors are urging parents to fill all prescriptions, and to plan... (click headline to continue)

Food Stamp Program Makes Fresh Produce More Affordable

Rebeca Gonzalez grew up eating artichokes from her grandmother's farm in the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala. But for years after emigrating to the U.S., she did not feed them to her own kids because the spiky, fibrous vegetables were too expensive on this side of the border. When she prepared meals at her family's home in Garden Grove, Calif., Gonzalez would also omit... (click headline to continue)

CBHA affinity members offer approved services that benefit our members while supporting our advocacy efforts.

We appreciate our business associates for their partnerships that both provide our members exceptional services and sponsor our advocacy efforts.



 VALANT : Providers extend empathy toward their patients, but an over-extension of one's capacities can lead to problems. Compassion fatigue is a significant problem in the behavioral healthcare industry. Under certain circumstances, it can even have ethical or legal implications. Preventing the onset of compassion fatigue is a matter of creating and sticking to an effective prevention strategy. In our blog post," How to Prevent Compassion Fatigue "we cover five important steps in doing so. Click here to read more!

California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies