SAVE THE DATES!

CBHA's 3rd
Mental Health First Aid Summit
May 4, 2020
Sacramento, CA

CBHA Spring Policy Forum
June 2-3, 2020
Sacramento, CA
Members Only

NATCON20
April 5-7, 2020
Austin, TX
Registration link below.


NOTICE:
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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
February 20, 2020
It’s Budget Season! Join CBHA as We Advocate for Behavioral Health Funding
 

Greetings Colleagues!
 
Happy African American History Month! February is an annual observance that celebrates important individuals and events in the history of the African diaspora. African Americans have contributed significantly to building the fabric of our country. African Americans have also played a role in developing psychological theories, designing assessment instruments, and techniques. However, within the African American community at large, there is a misunderstanding about what a mental health condition is, and stigma discourages many from discussing mental illness or seeking treatment. So, this month, we celebrate those African Americans who helped to establish the foundation of psychological science while acknowledging the need to address the health disparities that contribute to African Americans experiencing behavioral health conditions.
 
CBHA Collaborates on Sponsored Legislation
CBHA has led efforts to garner funding for workforce, education, and training (WET) purposes for the past two years. In 2018, we secured $10 million to extend the MHSA WET funds for an additional year. In 2019, our advocacy for $70 million for workforce funds via the state’s Five-Year WET Plan was successful.
 
This year, we are proud to join several of our allied behavioral health partners in co-sponsoring two budget proposals! Read below for information about our proposals, and please consider supporting these proposals.

  • Substance Use Disorder Workforce. This proposal is co-sponsored by CBHA, California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), and California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP). We are requesting $4.2 million General Fund dollars to support the SUDs workforce.

  • Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). This proposal is co-sponsored by CBHA, County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA), Children Now, and NextGen. We are requesting $3-4 million General Fund dollars to establish YMHFA training for schools in three California counties that have Crisis Intervention Teams.
 
Governor Newsom’s Budget Updates and State of the State Address
The Governor released his budget proposal about two weeks ago. We are heartened to see many allocations for behavioral health, as indicated in the summary I sent several weeks ago... continue reading
FEATURED CBHA MEMBER
Kings View Behavioral Health Systems was founded in Reedley in 1951 by the Mennonite Central Committee to address the need for treatment of mental health. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the scope of services was expanded to include drug and alcohol treatment through a number of community programs. Click here to learn more.
CBHA's 3rd Mental Health First Aid Summit
Join us for California’s third summit geared toward trainers, behavioral health professionals, and policymakers to build engagement, share new focus areas and programs, discuss upcoming legislation, and build MHFA partnerships and pathways for continued growth.  Agenda and speaker list will be announced soon.

May 4, 2020
Sacramento County Office of Education
CBHA Member: $20 | Non Member: $30
The official   MHFA Instructor Summit 2020 agenda at NatCon20 is now available! 
NATCON20: CBHA Members, email us to get your discount code and save $150 on your registration fee! Click logo below to register.
Middle Management Academy - Coming Soon!
The next MMA is currently being planned, so let us know if you are interested in hosting. You’ll receive a discount and also make it convenient for your staff to attend.

"I really loved it. There are many techniques that I am implementing with my staff that I think will be helpful to improve teamwork and productivity." -South Coast Community Services MMA Graduate 2018

Please contact CBHA Director of Programs and Operations, Sara Kahoalii, at  skahoalii@cccbha.org for more information. In the meantime you can find information here:  Middle Management Academy
The Healthcare Workforce Division (HWDD) administers programs that improve access to health care in underserved areas of California. The programs support individual students and graduates with scholarships and/or loan repayment, and educational training programs that show a commitment to increasing the number of primary care healthcare providers in California. HWDD acts as the State’s Primary Care Office (PCO) and liaison to the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA).

OSHPD's non-profit, the Health Professions Education Foundation (HPEF) also administers scholarships and loan repayment programs to health professional students and graduates who are dedicated to providing direct patient care in underserved areas of California. Please see the list of programs and scholarships available here.
GET YOUR FREE TICKET HERE!
Foundational Addiction Knowledge Symposium (Click flyer for more info)
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) released earlier today its second annual California Health Policy Survey . It provides insights into Californians’ experiences and attitudes about health coverage, health care costs, access to care, mental health, substance use treatment, the health care workforce, and homelessness. The poll was done in conjunction with SSRS, a national survey research firm.
Mental Health Ranks #1
Among health issues, Californians’ top priority is ensuring people with mental health problems can get treatment (52% say it is “extremely important”). Next is lowering the price of prescription drugs (47% extremely important), followed by making sure all Californians have health insurance (46% extremely important).
 
As it did last year, access to mental health care ranks in the top two health priorities for Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. 
 
"For too long, the health care system has treated mental health concerns as a second-tier issue,” said CHCF President and CEO Sandra R. Hernández, MD. “For two years in a row, the people of California are sending a clear message that this is the top health care issue they want addressed." 
 
The poll also found that large numbers of Californians who need mental health care struggle to get it. Among those with insurance who tried to make an appointment for mental health care in the past 12 months, nearly half (48%) found it very or somewhat difficult to find a provider who took their insurance. Over half (52%) of those who tried to make an appointment (with or without insurance) believe they waited longer than was reasonable to get one.
The National Council for Behavioral Health has developed a new toolkit to empower you to claim your role as an authority on generally accepted standards of care.

Our toolkit provides a compelling argument for upholding generally accepted standards of care and practical tools for implementing an effective appeal strategy, including appeal letter templates, insurance claim review talking points and an educational infographic .

The recommended approach supplements general appeal guidance with important findings from the landmark federal court case, Wit v. UBH . This groundbreaking ruling established a clear set of generally accepted standards of care that is consistent with widely accepted professional sources of standards. Learn more .

On March 5 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) , we will host a webinar to show you how to enhance your appeal strategy using lessons from the Wit case.  Register  for the webinar today. To learn more about our toolkit or the webinar, please  contact Lindsi DeSorrento , Director of Health Care Transformation.
Interested in becoming a CBHA member?
Become A CBHA Member Agency And Enjoy These Benefits:
  • Membership includes affiliate membership with the National Council for Behavioral Health and discounted rates at National Council events.
  • Attend our policy forums and advocacy days - packed with valuable information and opportunities to strengthen your agency!
  • Subscription to our members-only newsletter, legislative and budget member alerts, action alerts to oppose harmful bills, important announcements, and access to our webinar series!
  • Networking opportunities through our member reception and invite-only events during policy forums and advocacy days.

Business Associate memberships are available too!
Expand your footprint with exclusive advertising through our members newsletter and sponsorship opportunities. Please email response@cccbha.org for more information .
AFFINITY MEMBERS & BUSINESS ASSOCIATES
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.