Transformational Change Report: October – December 2021

QUARTERLY REPORT October 2021 –December 2021 mhsoac.ca.gov MHSOAC —Quarterly Report Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Overview The Commission maintains a long-standing commitment to using its authorities, resources, and passion to reduce the adverse outcomes of mental health challenges and promote the mental wellbeing of all Californians. We work every day through partnerships to catalyze transformational change across service systems to fulfill this commitment. This report aims to provide a quarterly snapshot of our work, offering connections and insight to the work through highlights in initiatives, committees, and subcommittees, as well as community engagement and department projects that help connect the Commission’s activities to our mission. This report covers the second quarter of FY2021-2022, the months of October, November, and December 2021. Highlights Commission Through grants to Advisory committee addresses pre-existing 55 counties, the for youth, led by disparities in mental MHSSA helped build youth, develops a health care with one- partnerships to social media outreach time pandemic increase on-campus plan to support funding. support to students. vulnerable kids. (page 14) (page 8) (page 16) READ MORE READ MORE READ MORE ➔ ➔ ➔ 2 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Contents 01 Community Engagement 04 02 Initiatives 07 03 Committees and Subcommittees 13 04 Advancing Transformational Change 17 05 What’s Next 23 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 01 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 4 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 33 In the last three months of 2021 we hosted a wide range of virtual and in-person events representing the full spectrum of voices that the Commission serves, including commission meetings, learning collaboratives, multi-county workgroups, community partner grant events, and regional and state board meetings and conferences. On average, we hosted an event COMMUNITY EVENTS every other workday. 1. American Public Health Association 2. Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee 3. Art With Impact 12 4. Behavioral Health Equity Collaborative 5. California Mental Health Advocacy for Children and Youth 6. California Pan-Ethnic Health Network 7. Client and Family Leadership Committee 8. Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee 9. San Diego Board of Supervisors ORGANIZATIONAL 10. Striving for Zero Learning Collaborative TOUCHPOINTS 11. Two Feathers NAFS Third Annual Native Youth School and Community Wellness Conference 12. United Parents 06 Webinar Conference Teleconference Presentation Virtual Listening MEETING PLATFORMS Sponsored 5 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Community Engagement Transformational change can only happen when the public and local and state governments are invested in the process. This commitment is embedded in the Mental Health Community Partner Engagements Services Act, which explicitly includes peers, families, Community partner engagement grants help specific advocates, and community representatives as members communities build understanding of mental health of the Commission and in conversations and decision needs and solutions, and these grants support making. community events. These events range from caregiver storytelling webinars from United Parents to discussions Some of the Commission’s most valuable and often around Black community mental health and criminal unseen work lies in intentionally and consistently justice involvement from the California Pan-Ethnic constructing ways to convene, through hosting, Health Network. These community partner engagement sponsoring and engaging in conversations, workgroups, grants are also built with input from the public; as the and collaboratives designed to create change and in Commission prepares another round of grants to which all voices are represented. support immigrants and refugees, staff held a listening session to hear from members of the public on what is Teleconference Meetings important for them to see in those grants (October 21) . Routine teleconference meetings for the Commission The Commission also directly supports other mental (October 28 and November 18) and committees allow health efforts, like the Two Feathers NAFS Third Annual Commissioners, committee members, and members of Native Youth School and Community Wellness the public to work together on establishing goals, Conference (November 17-19), and virtual discussions deciding future action, and reviewing results. This about art and mental health hosted by Art With Impact quarter included meetings of the Client and Family (October 8, 13, 22; November 5, 12, 18; Dec 2, 16) . Leadership Committee (October 19 and December 9), Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee (October 28), and State-wide Conversations Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee Engagement in mental health also drives Commission (November 10 and December 8). staff to participate in conversations outside the Commission. In this quarter, Commission staff Learning Collaboratives participated in meetings with the San Diego Board of Commission initiatives happen at a local level and Supervisors (October 19), the California Mental Health collaboration with counties is critical. Learning Advocacy for Children and Youth (November 12), the 988 collaboratives are a way for counties to work together, State Advisory Board (December 1), and more. Staff also learn from each other, and accomplish their goals, as 11 presented at the American Public Health Association’s counties are doing as part of the Striving for Zero annual conference (October 25), the Words to Deeds Learning Collaborative. This collaborative met twice conference (November 5), the Behavioral Health Equity during this quarter (October 20 and November 17), Collaborative (November 23), and more. These activities advancing suicide prevention efforts. The Commission help Commission staff hear from and share with those in also hosted a multi-county workgroup teleconference the mental health space who may not attend (October 4) to discuss the annual prevention and early Commission meetings. intervention report templates. 6 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 02 INITIATIVES 7 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Initiatives The Commission is currently supporting 11 initiatives, broad-reaching, often multifaceted projects within the framework of our strategic plan, to improve mental wellbeing in California. These initiatives are supported through a variety of means, including research, statewide and local funding and grants, and training. This report takes a deep dive into the School Mental Health initiative and provides a strategic overview of the Commission’s 10 other initiatives. FEATURED INITIATIVE: SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH Grants to Schools Support Student Return to Campus $210 million The Commission administers the Mental Health Student Services Act and provides grants for partnerships between county mental health agencies and in grant funding for local education agencies to deliver school-based mental health services and programs in 55 of supports to young people and their families. These partnerships support outreach to identify early signs of unmet mental health needs, reduce stigma California’s 59 and discrimination, and prevent unmet mental health needs from becoming county/local mental severe and disabling. health departments The Commission has awarded nearly $210 million in grant funding to programs in 55 of California’s 59 county/local mental health departments to support robust school mental health partnerships. Grant funding is available to provide support services both on and off campus that may include suicide prevention, drop-out prevention, placement assistance, and a range of services to students in need. Funding targets outreach to high-risk youth, including foster youth, youth who identify as LGBTQ+, economically disadvantaged communities, and youth who have been expelled or suspended from school. Across the diverse 55 funded partnerships, grant funds are deployed to support student-run wellness centers, teacher and staff training, crisis support programs, mental health screening, stigma reduction, peer support, case management, clinical treatment, and other approaches to meeting student mental health needs. In the second quarter of the 2021-22 fiscal year, the Commission focused on extending funding opportunities under the Mental Health Student Services Act to the 20 California counties that had not applied for or received a grant 8 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 under the program. The bulk of those counties were The Commission will continue to support school mental small, rural, and had limited staff capacity to participate health moving forward through: in a grant application program. Early in the quarter Commission staff worked with county staff to better understand the barriers they faced in accessing these Contract Monitoring:The Commission will continue to grant funds. The Commission supported a multi-county work with existing partners and newly funded partners listening session, one-on-one county engagement to distribute funding consistent with the grant sessions, and a Bidder’s Conference. In response, the provisions. grant application process was streamlined to address those concerns while remaining compliant with the Program Reporting and Evaluation:The Commission is administrative rules that govern the use of these funds. working with local partners, research and evaluation consultants, and others to design and implement a • On November 1, 2021, the Commission released a research and evaluation strategy that reflects the request for proposals targeting the 20 counties that diversity of school mental health strategies supported were not participating in the grant funding program. with grant funds and provides actionable information for • On February 1, 2021, the Commission awarded grants learning from this program. to 17 of the 20 unfunded counties. Fiscal Sustainability:The Commission’s mental health • To date, the Commission is funding projects in 55 of and education partners are pursuing a range of California’s 59 county/local mental health strategies to explore how to continue the work departments. supported with these grant funds when the grant ends in • The Commission is currently working with the 2026. The Commission is working with the Department remaining four counties to understand the barriers of Health Care Services and the Children and Youth they face to participating in the project. Behavioral Health Initiative to identify and support • Among other barriers, counties report difficulties opportunities to sustainably finance relevant school hiring and retaining needed staff, meeting reporting mental health investments. and data requirements under the grant program, and difficulties expanding services. Understanding Programmatic Effectiveness:The Commission, in partnership with other state agencies, • In addition to addressing staffing needs, local and local partners, is facilitating a learning collaborative partners under the program report challenges to better understand the range of program types funded identifying the most effective practices in supporting through the grant program, their impact on specific school mental health and determining how to needs and ways to scale the most effective interventions. sustainably fund the projects supported with these grant funds. Complete Initiative Portfolio Click below to visit the webpage for each initiative and see updated descriptions, timelines, and resources. allcoveTMYouth Drop-In Centers Innovation Incubator Triage ➔ ➔ ➔ COVID-19 and Emerging Issues Prevention and Early Intervention Workplace Mental Health ➔ ➔ ➔ Criminal Justice Prevention School Mental Health Youth and Peer Empowerment ➔ ➔ ➔ Early Psychosis Intervention Plus Suicide Prevention ➔ ➔ 9 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Initiatives Support Strategic Goals The Commission set out to achieve three key strategic goals between 2020 -2023: to advance a shared vision of mental health needs; to advance data and analysis to support better outcomes; and to catalyze improvement in state policy and community practice. Each initiative supports these goals through specific and measurable efforts in a variety of categories identified in the gray tags below. This key will help you see the tangible ways these initiatives are helping the Commission create transformational change in mental health for Californians: VI SI ON DATA COMMUNITY School mental health Transparency Suite Multi-community collaborative Prevention & early intervention County-level data Suicide prevention Standards & strategies Aggregate & integrate Youth-led efforts allcove™Youth Drop-In Centers 1/2 Half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14, and 75 percent develop by the age of 24, of all mental making early detection and treatment urgent and critical. health conditions allcove™youth drop-in centers will expand early access to integrated mental health care for begin by age 14 youth between 12 and 25 years of age and their families. 75% School mental healt h Prevention & early intervention Multi-community collaborative Develop by the Read more here age of 24 COVID-19 & Emerging Issues The pandemic has tested the capacity of the state’s mental health systems to meet pre-existing and emerging mental health needs of Californians. The Legislature authorized the Commission to redirect existing funds to fortify county, local, and community partners and service providers to rise to the challenge of moments like these to deliver the best mental health services possible. Prevention & early intervention Multi-community collaborative Read more here Criminal Justice and Mental Health The Commission is using multiple tools –research, policy development, financial incentives, and technical assistance – to help counties and their community partners build proactive and effective service systems that reduce criminal justice system involvement. The goal is to assertively advance the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) goal of reducing incarceration among individuals with mental health needs. Prevention & early intervention Standards & strategies County-level data Multi-community collaborative Read more here 10 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Early Psychosis Intervention Plus ~100k Nearly 100,000 adolescents and young adults experience their first psychotic episode each Adolescents and year in the United States. With half of all mental disorders manifesting by the age of 14 and young adults experience their 75 percent by the age of 24, the Commission is focusing on early detection and early first psychotic intervention to improve the lives of adolescents and young adults, significantly reducing episode every the impact of mental health challenges. year in the U.S. School mental health Prevention & early intervention Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Read more here Innovation Incubator The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) includes a rare and explicit commitment to fostering innovation in providing services and supports. Created in 2018 with $5 million in one-time funding, the Innovation Incubator brings together county behavioral health agencies, subject matter experts, and other partners to drive innovations that improve mental health outcomes for individuals and communities. County-level data Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Read more here Prevention & Early Intervention (PEI) Everyone should have the opportunity to be well and thrive, yet one in four people worldwide will experience a significant disruption to their mental wellbeing at some point in their lifetime. The Commission is developing a report on prevention and early intervention opportunities using data and technical support strategies and supporting innovative approaches to meeting PEI needs. Prevention & early intervention Standards & strategies County-level data Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Suicide prevention Read more here Suicide Prevention Suicide in California remains a significant public health challenge. In 2020, 4,075 Californians lost their lives to suicide, and the pandemic has increased suicide risks statewide. There is hope. Guided by data and community input, the Commission developed a statewide strategic plan for suicide prevention that incorporates the latest information and evidence to guide state and local actions for saving lives. Prevention & early intervention Standards & strategies County-level data Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Suicide prevention Read more here 11 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Triage Triage personnel or mobile crisis response teams may be the first mental health professionals in contact with someone requiring crisis intervention. This Mental Health Wellness Act grant program is helping crisis responders connect those having a mental health episode with wellness, resiliency, and recovery-oriented programs that offer the least restrictive settings appropriate for their needs. Prevention & early intervention Standards & strategies Multi-community collaborative Read more here Workplace Mental Health Nearly one in five Americans live with a mental health condition, yet there are no well-established and agreed-upon standards in the U.S. to guide public and private employers about how to increase mental health awareness in the workplace, support prevention, and respond to needs with recovery strategies. The Commission is developing a framework of voluntary standards to support mental health in the workplace for all Californians. Standards & strategies County-level data Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Read more here Youth & Peer Empowerment The Commission is working through advocacy funding, sponsored legislation, sponsored youth participation, and Committees to amplify the voices of youth and peer leaders seeking to create innovative solutions in the pursuit of emotional wellbeing and prevention. The Youth Innovation Committee identified unmet mental health needs of California youth and identified opportunities for innovation; the Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee has begun work to use social media to support victims of bullying. School mental health Prevention & early intervention County-level data Aggregate & integrate Multi-community collaborative Youth-led efforts Read more here 12 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 03 COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES 13 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Subcommittees and Committees The Mental Health Services Act charges the Commission with engaging the public. Subcommittees and committees allow Commissioners and the public to dive deep into questions and advise the full Commission. This report highlights the Innovation Subcommittee and the Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee, and a list of all Committees and Subcommittees is available on the Commission’s website. FEATURED SUBCOMMITTEE: INNOVATION Innovation Project Inspires Pandemic Response The Commission is using one-time pandemic funding to services, supports, and outcomes by engaging the help counties replicate an innovation project in Solano community to apply the standards for Culturally and County that is increasing both access to, and the quality Linguistically Appropriate Services, known as the CLAS of care received by underserved communities . standards. The county developed Quality Improvement Action Plans in three focus areas: workforce The Budget Act of 2020 authorized the Commission to development, training, and community outreach. redirect $2.02 million to respond to the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has Early results from the project show remarkable worsened pre-existing disparities in access to quality results in access and penetration rates for some of care. The stress has been particularly acute for young the underserved communities and improvements people and their families due to the loss of traditional throughout Solano County’s behavioral health school supports, isolation, the ongoing incidences of department. racial injustice. Economic distress has particularly impacted low-income, racial, and ethnic communities. Through this project, Solano County: The Commission saw an opportunity to address Funded 35 wellness centers on K-12 and disparities in access to effective and culturally adult education campuses, which provide appropriate care, and as result $790,000 was dedicated culturally inclusive spaces where all to replicate Solano County’s Interdisciplinary students are welcome. Collaboration and Cultural Transformation Model (ICCTM). Implemented a new inclusion statement and changed hiring practices to focus on cultural responsivity and competencies. Beginning in 2015, Solano County used $7.2 million of its MHSA Innovation funds and partnered with the UC Davis Enhanced community awareness and trust Center for Reducing Health Disparities to better serve that resulted in a significant increase in calls the Latino, Filipino, and LGBTQ+ communities. requesting services. The project sought to improve inter-agency and community collaboration related to mental health 14 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 To support the 40 counties that were interested in replicating the community engagement project, the Commission is contracting with the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities and Solano County to conduct a virtual training series focused on eight topics: 1 2 3 4 Overview of th e The impact of COVID-19 Social determinants Implications of trauma Solano County ICCTM on communities of color, of health, with a focus on on marginalized comm- Innovation Project and particularly the Latinx disparities related to unities with a focus on outcomes to date and African American COVID-19 and the impact traumatic grief and the communities of structural racism lingering effects of loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic 5 6 7 8 National CLAS standards Mental Health Plan data Culturally specific Project sustainability and how to adapt them that can be used to community engagement planning. for the LGBTQ+ monitor disparities and models, including the community inform the development “Resilient American of community-driven Communities: COVID-19 Quality Improvement Initiative” model Action Plans Counties will meet quarterly to learn from each other, engagement models, efforts to implement CLAS and Solano County will mentor up to four counties on standards, and county participation. community engagement activities. The remaining $50,000 in the budget will fund a project The project’s effectiveness will be determined through manager to work with counties to develop a Multi- participant surveys and information collected on any County Innovation Plan to reduce ethnic disparities and Quality Improvement Action Plans developed. Success scale the Solano County project. indicators will include confidence with community All Subcommittees Click below to visit the webpage for each subcommittee and see upcoming and past meetings. Innovation Subcommittee ➔ Prevention and Early Intervention Subcommittee ➔ Workplace Mental Health Subcommittee ➔ 15 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 FEATURED COMMITTEE: ANTI-BULLYING Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee is Youth Led The Commission is working with youth, community strategies, committee members shared their experiences leaders and experts to design and launch a social media and expressed their vision and priorities for supporting campaign targeting racial and ethnic bullying. victims of bullying, sharing resources, and providing peer support. The Legislature in 2021 allocated $5 million to the Commission to create a social media-based peer support To achieve these priorities, the Committee agreed on network for youth who experienced bullying because of three elements: their ethnicity, country of origin, or language. • Design a peer support network. To inform the process, the Commission formed the Anti- • Make the project by youth, for youth . Bullying Advisory Committee, led by Commissioner Shuo • Ensure the project is “always on,” and meets youth Chen. The Committee is composed of youth and adults where they are. with expertise in youth engagement, Asian Pacific Islander (API) and diversity issues, and bullying The Commission authorized a contract with a social prevention. media agency that engaged youth and cultural ambassadors in a meeting in November. Staff is The Committee met twice in the latter half of 2021. identifying contractors to support the project. Using youth-led engagement and empowerment All Committees Click below to visit the webpage for each committee and see upcoming and past meetings. Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee Research & Evaluation Committee ➔ ➔ Client and Family Leadership Committee Fellowship Advisory Committee ➔ ➔ Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee Youth Innovation Project Planning Committee ➔ ➔ Early Psychosis Advisory Committee ➔ 16 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 04 ADVANCING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE 17 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Advancing Transformational Change In its efforts to create transformational change for wellbeing in California, the Commission uses research, grants, innovation, and more to explore bold new ideas. These tools underpin Commission initiatives to create more robust evidence and exploration. Read more about how staff are advancing change. Research and Evaluation Recommending ways to improve mental health strategies and outcomes. The teamcompiles data and The Research and Evaluation team seeks to improve research with public input to align and adapt statewide outcomes, promote opportunities for prevention and policies and community programs with effective effective intervention, and reduce disparities by approaches to improve outcomes. During the last analyzing data, consulting with experts, and engaging quarter of 2021, the teampartnered with subject matter communities to produce information and experts to develop an online training resourcefor recommendations that empower community members educators to develop protocols for screening students at and inform policymakers and practitioners. The team risk for suicide, which includes collecting and has five primary activities that are strategically designed aggregating data to more accurately describe suicide risk to increase public understanding and reduce stigma, among students. document the impact of existing policies and programs, provide the information required for robust community Linking consumer-level data across service systems to involvement and continuous improvement in services understand the impact of mental services. The team and outcomes, and inform the Commission’s agenda. links consumer-level data across service systems to understand how mental health needs and services Tracking community indicators to increase public impact the health, safety, education, and employment of understanding and awareness. The team reports Californians. At the end of 2021, the teamacquired population-level data on significant outcomes education data on mental health consumers from the associated with mental health, including Department of Education and birth and death data from hospitalizations, criminal justice involvement and 2000-2020 from the Department of Public Health and has suicide. As part of the Commission’s Transparency Suite, completed the process to load that data into the the team released its latest dashboard highlighting Commission Data Warehouse. suicide incidence and rates in late 2021. Evaluating new initiatives to accelerate learning, Curating an inventory of county plans and programs adaptation, and scaling. The teamevaluates existing to improve community planning. The team aggregates and pilot interventions to determine effectiveness and data on MHSA-supported programs, including three-year identifies opportunities for prevention, improvement plans and annual reports, data and outcomes reported and replication. Evaluation of the Commission’s mental for Prevention and Early Intervention programs and health crisis triagegrant program is underway. After Innovation projects, program descriptions and consulting with the Research and Evaluation Committee, outcomes, revenue and expenditures. Teamdata an evaluation plan has been finalized and data on more scientists are working to update the Commission’s fiscal than16,000 program clients has been collected. transparency tool, which visually displays information about funding and expendituresby County Mental Health/Behavioral Health departments in programs under the Mental Health Service Act. 18 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Stakeholder Engagement and Grants As of September 2021, the Commission has executed The Commission’s Stakeholder Engagement and Grants grant agreements with the seven EPI+ grantees. In team handles multiple external-facing programs that aim January 2022, the Commission and its EPI+ Training and to directly serve community members through advocacy Technical Assistance partners at UC Davis, UC San contracts, the Triage program, Early Psychosis Francisco, and Stanford University facilitated a Data Intervention Plus (EPI+), allcoveTMYouth Drop-In Centers, Collection Forum with the EPI+ grantees to discuss the and COVID-19 response projects. statewide plan for data collection and the utilization of outcomes data to demonstrate program impact. The Commission supports eight advocacy organizations Commission staff are in process of drafting an EPI that are planning mental health advocacy events for Strategic Plan Framework to present to the EPI+ 2022 by gathering community input and meeting with Advisory Committee for input on the key areas of county supervisors and behavioral health agencies. In opportunity for expanding and sustaining EPI programs partnership with local level entities, community partner and to refine the strategy for funding workforce organizations will hold a total of 42 local and state level expansion, public awareness, and research on barriers to advocacy events in 2022 across the state. Additionally, accessing care for diverse communities with the seven organizations released their 2021 State of the remaining $1.6 million in available funds. As of January Community Reports in the fall which summarize last 2022, the Commission has executed grant agreements year’s advocacy work and outline the current critical with the five allcove™youth drop-in center grantees. The needs of Clients and Consumers, Diverse Racial and grant execution process was significantly delayed due to Ethnic Communities, Families, LGBTQ+ communities, COVID-19 impacts and allcove™trademark negotiations. Parents and Caregivers, Transition Age Youth, and The time spent negotiating these agreements was Veterans. The Stakeholder Engagement team also necessary to ensure that allcove™centers are conducted four listening session events in prior months implemented with fidelity to the model around the state in preparation for the next round of Immigrant and under the same branding to provide a consistent look Refugee Stakeholder contracts, totaling $2,010,000 in and feel and with shared priorities in serving at-risk funding, with the Request for Proposal planned to be youth. Due to this delay, the Commission is seeking a released in the Spring of 2022. two-year extension of the funding liquidation period from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2026, in order to provide Current Triage grantees include 20 counties participating a four-year grant term. with 30 programs in total consisting of an Adult/TAY, 0- 21, and a School/County Collaborative. Grant funding The Commission’s COVID-19 response projects include a was originally set at three years and would have ended project to strengthen school mental health supports for on November 30, 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 young Californians. As of July 2021, the Commission has pandemic, the Commission has offered counties executed contracts with Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), participating in Triage grants an additional contract year NAMI California’s NAMI on Campus High School (NCHS) to spend down any unspent funding. The pandemic Program, Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network, made it very difficult for counties to hire and retain Directing Change Program and Film Contest, and The Triage personnel over the past two years. In all, 25 Goldie Hawn Foundation’s MindUP™Program to provide programs have received extensions for an additional student mental health supports with an emphasis on year through November of 2022 to continue funding the youth suicide prevention throughout the 2021-22 school program with unspent funds from previous years. year. Commission staff are facilitating quarterly Triage staff are in the process of planning for the next collaboration meetings to coordinate their activities and round of funding. The Request for Applications is ensure the project goals are met and are serving the scheduled to be out by June 2022 with contracts in place communities in need. by October 2022. 19 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 As of January 2022, this collaboration has resulted in Most notable is that the counties have all expressed a BC2M, NCHS, and GSA significantly increasing the total great deal of trust with the Commission and its staff, number of active school-based clubs, Directing Change exemplifying that State and local partnerships are the awarding 13 mini-grants to club-affiliated students to foundation of an organized effort for change and allows participate in their annual art/film contest, forming a for collaboration and learning –important elements for new partnership to pilot a middle school BC2M club transformational change! This was exemplified in this model with MindUP’s curriculum, and NCHS establishing quarter when Sacramento County approached a new Youth Advisory Council to elevate youth voice in Commission staff and shared a local challenge in the the design of club materials and programming. area of Crisis Services. The County Board of Supervisors indicated a need for a strategy to strengthen the The Commission’s COVID-19 response also includes an county’s crisis system of care under a tight deadline. effort to address racial, ethnic, and cultural disparities. Program Operations staff was able to connect the county As of October 2021, the Commission has executed a with a contractor focused on implementing the Crisis contract with Prevention Institute to engage county Now Model as part of the Commission’s Innovation behavioral health departments and community-based Incubator. That contractor was at the time working with organizations, including the California Reducing 11 counties, supporting plan development for a Disparities Project’s Implementation Pilot Project, in comprehensive and sustainable crisis response system advancing a shared vision into long-term systems through their Crisis Now Academy. The contractor met change to be more responsive to community needs. with Sacramento County staff and within weeks was able Commission staff are also in process of executing to assess the county’s current crisis system of care and contracts with Solano County and the UC Davis Center determine their financial needs to implement a for Reducing Health Disparities to support the replication sustainable system. Relationship building created the of their Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Cultural opportunity to help move the county forward. Transformation Model Innovation Project. In addition to the transformative nature of relationship Program Operations building and in the spirit of partnership, the Program Operations team successfully reviewed 35 county- The Program Operations department is just one part of submitted innovation plans, 33 of which were approved the Commission’s overall strategy to help it perform its by the Commission which resulted in over $84 million in fiduciary responsibility, identifying trends in mental innovation funds to support 22 counties in providing health systems, and providing support through its review innovative services and or enhanced systems in their of county submitted reports on the progress of the communities. Mental Health Services Act. Program Operations also supported the Research and Staff on this team have developed significant Evaluation Team in evaluating the work of the relationships with the 59 county/local mental health Innovation Incubator by participating in 13 county exit plans and modeled successful state and local interviews to better understand the impact the partnerships. Through their work, counties have Innovation Incubator is making and how it can be received consistent technical assistance, capacity improved to support continuous quality improvement building, and support for their ongoing effort to achieve and overall service provision for all Californians. measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and outcomes through quality improvement strategies. 20 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Legislation In calendar year 2021, the Commission sponsored one piece of legislation, co-sponsored one piece of legislation, and supported four pieces of legislation. Of these, the Governor signed four pieces of legislation in late 2021. (See below.) Senate Bill 465 Assembly Bill 638 Senate Bill 14 Senate Bill 224 (Eggman), requires the (Quirk-Silva), (Portantino), excuses (Portantino), requires Commission to report authorizes prevention school absences for the schools to incorporate on the Full Service and early intervention benefit of a pupil’s mental health Partnership model to strategies that address mental or behavioral instruction in health the Legislature, was mental health needs, health, was signed on education, was signed signed on October 5, substance use needs, October 8, 2021. on October 8, 2021. 2021. or needs relating to co- Commission co- occurring mental The Commission The Commission sponsored this health and substance supported this supported this legislation. use needs, was signed legislation. legislation. on October 6, 2021. The Commission supported this legislation. Communication The Communications team also supported the release of the Commission’s video series Upstream University. As part of its goal to broaden public understanding of Part of the Commission’s prevention and early Commission efforts, the Communications team intervention efforts, Upstream University features three continued to improve the Commission website. experts in different areas of mental health, discussing Launched in the first quarter of FY2021-2022, the elements of prevention and early intervention – updated website now features clear information on including peers in decision-making, creating “digital Commission initiatives, with a refreshed layout for apothecaries” to help the public manage stress and Commission events, headlines, and Transparency avoid more severe symptoms, and examining mental Suite dashboards. The Communications team health disparities through a public health lens. This continues to work to improve clarity and access on release was supported through web and social media the website with new pages on Committees and posts. Subcommittees, uploading recordings of Commission meetings, and maintenance to keep Reaching new audiences continues to be an important content accurate and up-to-date. Many of these priority for the Commission. At its November 18, 2021 website updates supported the creation of this first meeting, the Commission authorized staff to contract quarterly report, another priority for the with Crossings TV to air messages of mental health Communications team during this quarter. support. 21 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 Crossings TV is an Asian-language television station, project is focused on destigmatizing mental health delivering programming for Chinese, Filipino, through storytelling. Their storytelling efforts include Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Hmong, and South Asian social media and web video, blog posts on Forbes.com, communities in the Central Valley, San Francisco, and and news segments on PBS NewsHour produced through Los Angeles areas. The Commission created an updated the Student Reporting Labs. Additionally, WETA is 30-second video for Crossings TV to broadcast partnering with Ken Burns to create a documentary throughout the day that speaks to the stress viewers about youth mental health, and which lists the may be experiencing, reassures them they’re not alone, Commission as a sponsor. PBS stations throughout the and connects them to resources. This video will air in country, including California, have done screenings of both English and Mandarin hundreds of times over Well Beings mental health documentaries, bringing local the next two years, reaching Asian American communities together to talk about mental health. This communities in a culturally relevant way. The partnership between the Commission and WETA began Commission also supports WETA’s Well Beings project. in 2019. WETA is a flagship PBS station, and their Well Beings 22 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 05 WHAT’S NEXT 23 Quarterly Report October 2021 –December 2021 What’s Next MAY 2022 May 12: Research and Evaluation Committee Meeting 9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m. May 12: Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee Meeting 3:00 p.m. –5:00 p.m. May 26: May Commission Meeting 9:00 a.m. –1:30 p.m. JUNE 2022 Commission Meeting TBD JULY 2022 July 14: Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee Meeting 2:00 p.m. –4:00 p.m. July 28: July Commission Meeting 9:00 a.m. –1:30 p.m. 24