TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Health & Human Services Agency
REPORT BY: Gaby Garcia, Staff Services Analyst
SUBJECT: Revenue Agreement with the California Department of Health Care Services Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG)
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Health and Human Services requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign a Revenue Agreement No. 220062B with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for a maximum of $613,635 for the term July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 for Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funds.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of the recommended action will allow the County to accept $613,635 from the Department of Health Care Services for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG). These funds provide for mental health services to individuals with serious mental illness and substance abuse issues.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Health & Human Services Mental Health |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Health and Human Service Agency (HHSA) is not required to accept this funding. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has allocated Napa County Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) funding to support community-based systems of care for providing mental health services. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
This Agreement ends on June 30, 2022 and is included in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If not approved, the loss of funding would result in a reduction of services to individuals with serious mental illness and substance use issues. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Napa County Health and Human Services Agency's (HHSA) Mental Health Division has applied for and received approval from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for its ongoing Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) funding allocation. The purpose of this grant is to establish or expand community-based systems of care to provide mental health services to individuals with serious mental illness and substance abuse issues.
For State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021-2022, the HHSA Mental Health Division received an initial allocation of $613,635, which consists of three components: a Base Allocation of $323,646, a Dual Diagnosis set-aside of $69,089 and a First Episode Psychosis (FEP) set-aside of $220,900. These allocations are being used to fund the following projects within the HHSA Mental Health Division:
Base Allocation
- Provide supportive housing services for seriously mentally ill adults in Napa County to prevent or reduce institutional usage. The HHSA Mental Health Division will do this through a contract with Mentis, who will provide the direct services. MHBG Base Allocation funding will be used to fully fund the operational costs of Mentis’s Satellite Housing program. The target population is adults with a serious mental illness (SMI) who are at risk of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization and/or discharging from an institutional setting back into the community; and,
- Provide supportive forensic specialty mental health services to individuals involved with the Napa County’s Public Defender’s Office through a designated Mental Health Counselor. This designated staff will case-find and follow-up with an often-reluctant client population, assess the needs of individuals served, counsel individuals with behavioral health issues and their significant others as appropriate, and make referrals to resources and services. This designated staff will work collaboratively with other involved agencies, including Probation, Alcohol and Drug Services, etc., and with other members of the HHSA Mental Health Division’s Forensic Mental Health team to coordinate services; and provide information, resources and consultation to attorneys in the Public Defender's Office regarding the behavioral health needs of the clients they serve. Additionally, this designated staff will provide formal training in behavioral health issues to Public Defender staff as requested. The target population for the Forensic Mental Health Service is SMI adult 18 years of age and above who are involved with the Napa County Public Defender’s Office.
Dual Diagnosis Allocation
- Assist individuals with co-occurring mental health and alcohol and drug disorders to receive services designed to reduce immediate harm to themselves and others and to assist them to stabilize. The HHSA Mental Health Division will accomplish this by funding a Mental Health Counselor position to provide outreach, engagement, assessment, brief “in-the-moment supportive counseling, and referral services to individuals identified as having co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. These services are provided 20 hours per week. This designated staff is trained in program criteria for both mental health and substance abuse programs and will make referrals and assist with “warm handoffs” to these programs as appropriate. This position is embedded within the Napa Police Department. The target population for the MHBG Dual Diagnosis funding allocation is adults identified as having or suspected of having co-occurring disorders.
FEP Allocation
- Support evidence-based programs that address the needs of individuals with early SMI, including FEP through:
- A contract with Aldea Children and Family Services (Aldea). The goal of Aldea’s EDAPT Supported Outreach and Access to Resources (SOAR) program is to reduce the negative outcomes that may result from untreated psychotic illness through early identification and comprehensive treatment of psychosis. Early identification and evidence-based intervention are necessary and effective steps in reducing the impact of psychosis on affected individuals, their families, and our community. The target population is individuals between the ages of 12 and 28 who meet the criteria for having had a first episode psychosis (FEP) within the last three years or up to five years, if needed. Individuals exhibiting symptoms that are indicative of the following diagnosis: Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, psychotic disorder, psychotic disorder NOS, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The program will also serve clients diagnosed with bipolar or major depressive disorder, but symptoms must include psychosis; and
- By providing trainings to identified community organizations and partner agencies on FEP. The goals of the trainings are to provide education on what FEP is, what the signs and symptoms are, best practices related to FEP, and the services available for FEP in the community. The target audience for this training is law enforcement, probation, schools, HHSA Divisions and other community agencies and partners as needed and requested. Trainings have been developed and will be provided by designated HHSA Mental Health Division staff; and,
- Research and development of a first episode psychosis screening tool.
This action requests authorization to accept the SAMHSA MHBG grant funding in the amount of $613,635 for SFY 2021-2022.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Revenue Agreement