Public Comment Sought for MHSA FY 2020-2023 Three-Year Plan and FY 2021-2022 Annual Update
On May 14, 2021, Mono County Behavioral Health (MCBH) posted a draft of its Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) FY 2020-2023 Three-Year Plan and FY 2021-2022 Annual Update. Members of the community are invited to review the plan and submit comments by emailing Amanda Greenberg at agreenberg@mono.ca.gov, calling 760-924-1740 or by attending a public meeting on June 14 at 3 pm via Zoom:
https://monocounty.zoom.us/j/7609241741
Call in: +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 760 924 1741
The MHSA FY 2020-2023 Three-Year Plan and FY 2021-2022 Annual Update can be found by visiting monocounty.ca.gov/mhsa or directly by clicking on this link.
Our Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Three-Year Plan and Annual Update is here to provide you, our community members, with information about the incredible programming that Mono County Behavioral Health (MCBH) is able to provide thanks to our MHSA funding.
The MHSA is a one percent tax on millionaires in California and funds programs in five different categories: Community Services and Supports (CSS), Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI), Innovation (INN), Workforce Education and Training (WET), and Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CF/TN). Through each of these, categories, MCBH is able to meet different community needs that are identified as part of our Community Program Planning Process.
Especially after such a challenging year, MCBH is very proud to present its combined 2020-2023 Three Year Plan and 2020-2021 Annual Update, which provides a progress report of MHSA activities for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and an overview of current or proposed MHSA programs planned and/or underway for the 2020-2023 fiscal years. This report will also provide you with specific data and information about our PEI and our Innovation programs.
A note about COVID-19, staffing, and racial equity:
Spring 2020 brought many changes for MCBH and our communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MCBH made a number of quick pivots in its MHSA programs, staffing, and ways of delivering services. For example, all services were provided via telehealth to protect MCBH staff and clients. For many clients, this change in service delivery had a positive effect – allowing them to attend sessions without traveling or facing the stigma associated with walking into a County facility. In other cases, individuals (especially youth) didn’t have a private place to talk or missed the connection gained from face-to-face contact. MCBH staff did an incredible job linking clients to community resources set up to support individuals and families through the pandemic. From an internal perspective, MCBH also prioritized staff well-being, allowing for flexible scheduling and organizing a 30-minute staff meetings to promote connection four days per week. The Department of Health Care Services also provided flexibilities for MHSA Three-Year Plans, which is why we have combined the 2020-2023 Three Year Plan with the 2021-2022 Annual Update. Thanks to this flexibility, MCBH will be able to speak to and explain the actions taken to reach out to the community during FY 2020-2021.
At the end of FY 2019-2020, MCBH also restructured its department, adding several new positions, promoting frontline workers, and ensuring that all staff members had a career growth path. Additionally, some MCBH staff were pulled into different committees and efforts related to COVID-19 and helped fight the racial disparities that came to light as a result of the pandemic. This work also led MCBH to internally undergo a series of racial equity trainings, create a set of core values, and to strive to move toward a system in which equity is ingrained in all parts of the department. It is MCBH’s hope that this MHSA Plan reflects this important work. Thank you for taking the time to read our plan, and we hope that you provide us with feedback on our work!
