HISTORY OF MHSA
Forty years ago, the State of California shut down many state hospitals for people with severe mental illnesses without providing adequate funding for community mental health services. To address the urgent need for recovery-based, accessible community-based mental health services, former Assembly member Darrell Steinberg, along with mental health community partners, introduced Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).
In 2004, California voters approved Prop 63 and the MHSA was enacted in 2005 by placing a one percent tax on incomes above $1 million. It provided the first opportunity in many years to expand county mental health programs for all populations: children, transition-age youth, adults, older adults, families, and most especially, the un- and under-served. It was also designed to provide a wide range of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services, including the necessary infrastructure, technology, and enhancement of the mental health workforce to support it. However, the economy took a severe downturn soon after Prop 63 passed, and instead of experiencing a growth in the continuum of services, in many cases service levels could only be sustained since Prop 63 money was often the only stable source of funds. Prop 63 began as approximately 10% of the entire public mental health budget; it now comprises approximately 24%.
5 STANDARDS OF MHSA
“The County shall adopt the following standards in planning, implementing, and evaluating the programs and/or services provided with Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds. The planning, implementation and evaluation process includes, but is not limited to, the Community Program Planning Process…and the manner in which the County delivers services and evaluates service delivery.”
-California Code of Regulations; Title 9. Rehabilitative and Development Services; Division 1. Department of Mental Health; Chapter 14. Mental Health Services Act; Section 3320. General Standards
MHSA is based on 5 standards:
Community Collaboration
Community collaboration refers to the process by which various stakeholders including groups of individuals or families, citizens, agencies, organizations and businesses, work together to share information and resources in order to accomplish a shared vision.
Cultural Competence
Culturally competent programs and services are viewed as a way to enhance the ability of the whole system to incorporate the languages and cultures of its clients.
Client/Family Driven Services
- Adult clients and families of children and youth identify their needs and preferences which lead to the services and supports that will be most effective for them.
- Adult services are client-centered and child and youth services are family driven; with providers working in full partnership with the clients and families they serve to develop individualized, comprehensive service plans.
Wellness focused
- Recovery refers to the process in which people who are diagnosed with a mental illness are able to live, work, learn and participate fully in their communities.
- Resilience refers to the personal qualities of optimism and hope, and the personal traits of good problem solving skills that lead individuals to live, work and learn with a sense of mastery and competence.
Integrated Service Experience
- Services are “seamless” to clients and that clients do not have to negotiate multiple agencies and funding sources to get critical needs met and to move towards recovery and develop resiliency. Services are delivered, or at a minimum, coordinated through a single agency or a system of care.
