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CBHA General Alert
October 5th, 2021
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Appointment & Bill Signing Ceremony on Aging with Governor Gavin Newsom
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Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday afternoon, CBHA was proud to be represented at a Bill Signing Ceremony on Aging and an appointment announcement with Governor Newsom. CBHA was invited due to our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey's seat on California's Master Plan For Aging. The group included small sets of stakeholders, community leaders, and elected officials, including Senator Monique Limon and Senator Henry Stern. CBHA was the only behavioral health organization present. Governor Newsom signed two pieces of legislation and announced the following appointments:
Kimberly McCoy Wade, 50, of Davis, has been appointed Senior Advisor on Aging, Disability and Alzheimer’s for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. McCoy Wade has been Director of the California Department of Aging since 2019. She was CalFresh and Nutrition Branch Chief at the California Department of Social Services from 2015 to 2019, a Public Policy and Philanthropy Consultant from 2009 to 2015 and Campaign Manager for Together for California’s Future in 2008. She was Executive Director of the California Association of Food Banks from 2006 to 2008, where she was Co-Director from 2004 to 2006. McCoy Wade was Director of Education and Advocacy for Food Banks of Northern California from 2001 to 2003, Campaign Manager for the Alliance for Justice in 2000 and Senior Domestic Policy Analyst for Bread for the World from 1998 to 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $180,000. McCoy Wade is a Democrat.
Susan DeMarois, 56, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Aging. DeMarois has been Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Alzheimer’s Association since 2013. She was a Health Policy Consultant from 2009 to 2013 and Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations for the University of California, Davis Health System from 2002 to 2009. DeMarois was California State Policy Director for the Alzheimer’s Association from 1999 to 2002 and Associate Director of Public Policy for LeadingAge California from 1993 to 1999. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $178,008. DeMarois is a Democrat.
CBHA congratulates Kimberly McCoy Wade and Susan DeMarois on their appointments and looks forward to working with them to support the behavioral health of older adults.
In Service,
CBHA Staff
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State Senator Henry Stern With California Governor Gavin Newsom
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Group Photo of the Bill Signing Ceremony on Aging
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State Senator Monique Limon With California Governor Gavin Newsom
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CBHA Highlighted at California Health and Human Services Agency Behavioral Health Task Force Meeting
Tuesday October 5, 2021 - 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m
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CBHA is proud to be highlighted during the California Health and Human Services Agency's Behavioral Health Task Force Meeting. The agenda is as follows:
1. Welcome and Opening Comments (10:00 am) Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH. Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, CHHS Stephanie Welch, MSW. Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health, CHHS
2. A New Look at Aging in California (10:15 – 11:15 am) Kim McCoy-Wade, Director, California Department of Aging Le Ondra Clark Harvey, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies
3. Stretch Break (11:15 – 11:20 am)
4. The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (11:20 – 12:20 pm) Status Update - Stephanie Welch, MSW. Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health, CHHS Focused Discussion on Workforce - Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH. Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, CHHS 2 Background Resources: - Final Report of the California Future Health Workforce Commission - Future of Work in California: A New Social Compact for Work and Workers
5. Member Discussion (12:20 – 12:45 pm)
6. Public Comment (12:45 pm)
7. Closing Comments
CBHA is honored to have a seat at the table as we continue to advocate for the behavioral health of California.
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CBHA participating on the "A New Look at Aging in California" Panel
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Cynthia Jackson Kelartinian, PhD from Heritage Clinics speaking to the task force
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School Mental Health Forum
Hosted By The Hathaway Center for Excellence
October 7, 2021 - 9:00 AM-1:00 PM PT
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The Hathaway Center for Excellence will be hosting a community forum focused on School Mental Health and the return to a changed school environment.
The pandemic school year has revealed and exacerbated stark inequities in regard to technology and educational access, particularly among students of color and from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. School districts, education staff, and families are being compelled to consider new and strategic engagement strategies as students return to various models of learning. In addition, schools are at a crossroads for determining how to best address diversity, equity, and inclusion within their engagement models and throughout the school environment. In Los Angeles County, the diversity across the student body, staff, and school contexts provide a tremendous opportunity to rise to the challenge of meeting the needs that have become so evident during the pandemic.
This forum will bring together leaders, school staff, caregivers, and students to discuss the issues facing schools in the 2021-2022 school year and to identify best practices for building and sustaining equitable engagement into the future.
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Register now by clicking the button below!
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Who We Are - CBHA's New Informational Video
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CBHA is excited to debut our "Who We Are" video! This video illustrates the work we do to advocate on behalf of our members. Featured in the video are:
- Le Ondra Clark Harvey Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies
- Vitka Eisen, President & Chief Executive Officer of HealthRIGHT360
- Myeisha Peguero Gamino, Vice President, Public Affairs and Advocacy of Pacific Clinics
Please click the button below to watch and share with your staff, colleagues and behavioral health community at large!
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Long wait times for mental health care can be deadly. Will a policy solution help? - San Francisco Examiner
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"Access to mental health care is so difficult in San Francisco that even on the cusp of crises, residents like Greta Christina have been asked to wait weeks, even months for an appointment.
“It’s gotten worse and worse,” said Christina, 59, who sees a therapist through Kaiser Permanente. “I couldn’t get an appointment until every three weeks, then it became every four weeks. And now, I’m lucky if we can see each other every six or eight weeks even.”
Long wait times for mental healthcare can often be detrimental to recovery for people experiencing a wide range of illness, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and drug use disorders — all of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“This is the worst depression I’ve experienced, it’s serious chronic debilitating depression and it has interfered with my ability to work and manage everyday life,” said Christina, who lives in the Mission District. “I really fricken’ need to be in therapy.”
The issue is prevalent across healthcare providers in California, where state law requires insurers to provide mental health assessments for patients within 10 weekdays of any request. But California stops short of requiring timely follow-up and subsequent care after that first appointment.
“After they are seen initially, return appointments are between 7-12 weeks away,” said Brandi Plumley, a licensed marriage and family therapist who works for Kaiser out of Vallejo. “It’s pretty horrific to be honest with you. If you wait too long between appointments, the progress you made can get washed away.”
One bill now sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, SB 221, would create new standards for follow-up appointments within 10 business days, unless a clinician determines that a longer wait is safe and necessary.
Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) first proposed the bill in January, and since then it has been approved unanimously by the State Assembly and passed 34-1 in the State Senate.
“This year, in talking to patients, we really learned that a lot of people have a quick first appointment but then have to wait months for their second and subsequent appointments and that really undermines their ability to get better,” Wiener said. “It’s been a real focus to make sure that people who actually have insurance can get mental health treatment.”
If signed by Newsom, the new policy would also apply to treatment related to drug use disorders, which have skyrocketed in San Francisco during the pandemic.
“When I was in practice, getting clients, particularly those with severe mental illness and getting them to go to that first session can be a labor of love,” said Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey, CEO of the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies. “Imagine getting someone finally there, and then say we can’t see you again for many days. People never came back when I was in practice.”
Clark Harvey believes that SB 221 will set up some necessary safeguards to prevent more patients from falling out of care. But there are other pieces to this puzzle."
Click the button below to read the entire article.
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We appreciate UST, long-time Affinity Member, for their partnerships that both provide our members exceptional services and sponsor our advocacy efforts.
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We appreciate our Business Associates for their partnerships that both provide our members exceptional services and sponsor our advocacy efforts.
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