Congressional Budget Office Slams Republican Healthcare Proposal: More People Lose Health Insurance than Gained Under the Affordable Care Act

The analysis that came out Monday confirms the views of healthcare experts and state officials. Moreover, it only covers impacts through 2026. My analysis suggests that over the next 20 years most states will find it impossible to continue the Medicaid program as the block grant federal spending gap between Medicaid costs and federal funding grows. If that happens, the number of individuals who lose ... More Here

(Editor's note: CCCBHA sent out a Members Alert on 3/15/17 with a list of facts and detailed action steps our members can take to let their Congressional Representatives know they oppose the proposal.  It's just one of the benefits of being a member.)

Governor's Budget In-Home Supportive Services Proposal Will Reduce Mental Health Realignment Growth by Tens of Millions Annually, and Grow to Hundreds of Millions Over Time

The 1991 Realignment Law was intended to give health, mental health, and social services each one-third of dedicated state sales tax and vehicle license fee revenues. However, a feature added late in its development provided that the social service share would be determined by caseload, and health and mental health would get a larger or smaller share based on caseload growth for social services. More Here

Proposition 64 Marijuana Legalization - Funding for Substance Use Disorder Services Likely Delayed until 2019

Last month, the Department of Health Care Services announced, and then canceled, a Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting regarding this significant new substance use disorder funding opportunity.  We have learned that the reason for the cancellation is that other state agencies do not want this funding to even be discussed until all of the complicated regulatory issues regarding the sale of marijuana are resolved. They expect that to take all of 2017, and that means the stakeholder process will not begin until ... More Here

No Place Like Home Advisory Committee Begins Meeting March 23 - Schedule of Implementation Presented

This PowerPoint presentation describes the steps toward implementation of the No Place Like Home program. It identifies the outstanding issues, such as the definition of at-risk for chronic homelessness, which we hope will include people who are losing time-limited housing or are transitioning from institutional placements without a permanent home.

The first round of funding will be $200 million that will go out to all counties by ... More Here

Visit to Granville Youth Center in Vancouver BC -  A New Model for Youth Engagement

I was contacted over a year ago by Stanford professor Steve Adelsheim, who had a Robert Wood Johnson grant to study the Australia Headspace program and assess its feasibility in the United States, particularly in California under the Mental Health Services Act. The Headspace program in Australia now consists of 100 youth centers which offer primary care mental health, substance use disorder services, and sexual health support aimed at young people, ages 13 to 24. The premise is that people in this age group are the least likely to seek healthcare or behavioral healthcare in a traditional setting. The concept is a storefront in a youth friendly design where only young people will be admitted, and the concept is now expanding around the world. In California, Santa Clara County is planning to use MHSA innovations funds to help establish a facility. More Here