Category: Uncategorized

June 11 SB10 Assembly Health Committee hearing CANCELLED

CAMHPROLeave a comment

Senator Beall’s office has put out a notice postponing the June 11 Assembly Health Committee hearing. Senator Beall’s office and the Health Committee need to work out a policy conflict.

The Senator’s office will let us know when the Hearing is rescheduled.

In the meantime, if you want to let the Assembly Health Committee members know how much you care about SB 10, here’s the contact info. 

Members

Portal to write position letter

SB 10 Assembly Health Committee June 11

CAMHPROLeave a comment

Senator Beall’s office has sent the following message:

“SB 10 (Beall) will be heard in Assembly Health Committee Tuesday, June 11 1:30 p.m. — State Capitol, Room 4202. Please come and express your support for peers. As you know, though this policy has broad bipartisan support, it has been vetoed twice in the past so it’s important to send a loud a clear message that we need SB 10 signed into law!

 The Assembly committees will only accept support letters through the Advocacy portal. Please take a moment to personalize the attached template, or update your current letter and please make sure support letters are uploaded through the Advocate Portal 

ADVOCATE PORTAL
by Tuesday, June 4

DOCUMENTS:

Current SB 10 Peer Certification Fact Sheet

SB 10 Sample Support Letter

SB 10 passed on the Senate Floor 38-0!

CAMHPRO1 Comment

SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE:  9-0, 3/27/19
AYES:  Pan, Stone, Durazo, Grove, Hurtado, Leyva, Mitchell, Monning, Rubio

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:  6-0, 5/16/19
AYES:  Portantino, Bates, Bradford, Hill, Jones, Wieckowski

SUBJECT:  Mental health services:  peer support specialist certification

SOURCE:    Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission
Steinberg Institute

DIGEST:

This bill requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to establish a program for certifying peer support specialists; requires DHCS to amend its Medicaid state plan and to seek any federal waivers or state plan amendments to implement the certification program; and permits DHCS to implement, interpret, and make specific the certification program through available means, as specified, until regulations are adopted.

READ FULL ANALYSES
Senate Floor_5-21-19
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE
Office of Senate Floor Analyses
(916) 651-1520
Fax: (916) 327-4478

#CAPeerRespites, Peer2Peer Support

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Collaborating with Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC) and Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), we would like to send a very special thank you for everyone who joined us in celebrating Peer2Peer Support

#CAPeerRespites

Peer Respites: Expanding Peer2Peer Support
May 15, 2019

Peer2Peer Program of the day
Second Story Peer Respite Home (Santa Cruz County)
Share! Recovery House (Los Angeles County)
Blackbird House (Santa Clara County)
Sally’s Place (Alameda County)

Photos of the day:

 

Ideas from Breakout Groups

Peer Respites:
Expanding Peer2Peer Support


During the event 5/15/19, participates were asked how we could continue to network and grow peer respites throughout California. The responses below, categorized by themes, were the outcomes of the ongoing discussions throughout the day. This is the community voice.

To Build Support for Peer Respites: Advocacy

  • Educate the community, politicians, churches, schools, community service centers and other service providers, etc.
  • Provide exceptional services at existing respites, will lead to word of mouth
  • Create a tax incentive (or other financial incentive) to rent or sell a house for peer respite
  • Good data to communicate successes
  • Tax on Big Pharma to fund peer respite
  • Social media campaign using #CAPeerRespites
  • Connecting with faith-based organizations that have supportive mindset about mental health treatment/care/peer support
  • Utilize connections like news outlets to do local public interest stories spotlighting local peer respites (human kindness, compassion)
  • Create a “Peer Respite Day” during mental health month
  • Approach legislators to create bills
  • Determining messages and resources
  • Multimedia, TV, social media, radio, advertisements

Building a Network to Expand & Strengthen Peer Respite

  • Create a long-term strategic plan with existing peer respites to create a movement for peer respites in all counties
  • Peer respite working group to plan for Medi-Cal billing if SB 10 passes
  • Bimonthly meetings among existing peer respites for collaboration, sharing, learning, advising
  • Identify a “welcomer,” a point of contact to welcome others (new peer respites?)
  • Visit other peer sites
  • Build fellowship within peer community (ex: cookout)
  • Knowing people who will donate supplies or a house
  • Understanding and leveraging funding: seeking donations from corporations
  • Create info sheet about using MHSA money to fund peer respites
  • Potential statewide respite coalition partners: existing peer respites, county allies, other peer-run organizations, CAMHPRO, MHSOAC, established recover-focused nonprofits, provider organizations

To Improve Peer Respite

  • Child care for parents who need peer respite, link to child-care providers (and funds)
  • Pet care at peer respites
  • Community gardens
  • Emotional support animals at peer respites
  • Lift restrictions requiring diagnosis and/or taking medications (for those that have those requirements)
  • Consistent, consumer-produced statewide quality guidelines for peer respites
  • Make peer respite more accessible to people who don’t have housing
  • Gather community input on needs
  • Creating activities that engage understanding: yoga, exercise, music, art

Toward Peer Respite in Contra Costa County

  • Public comment, presentation, plant seeds CPAW: monthly meeting for MHSA, 1st Thursday, 3-5PM in Concord
  • Apply to be on MHC (1st Wednesday, 4:30-6:30 South, West, Central) and CPAW
  • BOS meetings
  • Community forums and outreach
  • Contra Costa Mental Health/Behavioral Health Services
  • POCC/Friends of Adeline
  • Peer programs
  • Contra Costa College & Spirit Program, Spirit Alumni Group
  • Social Inclusion meeting
  • RI: lost advocacy
  • Diversity
  • Surveys of community

Other Ideas

  • Build every tier of needed resources – peer respite is just one part; use available empty housing, explore co-housing and kibbutz model

CAMHPRO Seeks Talented, Diverse Peers for Part-Time Positions

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#1 Qualification: To be a person with personal lived experience of behavioral health (mental health &/or substance use/abuse) challenges in recovery

  • The positions are very part-time, at 5 hours per week, and are independent contractor positions, paying $20/hour.
  • Cover letter and resumes accepted by Executive Director, Sally Zinman, at sallyzinman@gmail.com until May 30, 2019 at 11:59 pm.
  • Positions will begin no later than the end of June, 2019.
If you are interested in applying, please review the Job Descriptions and Qualification by clicking on the Job Title below

Outreach Administrative Apprentice 
The Outreach Administrative Apprentice is primarily responsible for assisting with outreach to engage diverse groups and individuals in Peer Action League activities, and general administrative support.

Cultural Diversity Coordinator
The Cultural Diversity Coordinator is primarily responsible for managing activities of CAMHPRO’s Peer Action League (PAL) Cultural Racial Ethnic Equity Committee and administrative support to PAL

Public Policy Coordinator

The Public Policy Coordinator is primarily responsible for managing activities of CAMHPRO’s Peer Action League (PAL) Public Policy Committee and administrative support to PAL.

BRSS TACS April 2019 Monthly Update

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Welcome to the April 2019 Monthly Update from SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS). BRSS TACS Monthly Updates highlight upcoming events and resources that promote recovery.
In This Issue:
  • Recovery LIVE! Virtual Event: “Increasing Access to Treatment and Recovery Supports for People with Disabilities”– April 25, 2019
  • Ask the Expert
  • Funding Opportunity from the Health Resources & Services Administration
  • Now Available: Two New Resources from the National Alliance for Recovery Residences
  • Patient Scholarship Opportunity: AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting
  • Two-part Webinar: “De-escalating the Opioid Crisis: An Overview of Promising Prevention Strategies” – April 23–24, 2019
  • Just Released: After a School Tragedy…Readiness, Response, Recovery, & Resources
  • Webinar: “Medication-Assisted Treatment in the Health Care for the Homeless Community: Strategies for Expanding Services” – May 1, 2019
  • Recommended Recovery Resources
  • Request Technical Assistance

Ask the Expert

Nev Jones, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy at the University of South Florida, shares ways to support college students with mental health issues.
Question: 
What can we do to improve college access and success for young people with mental health issues?
Answer: 
Young people with mental health issues face numerous barriers in completing a college education. There are two key strategies for improving access: better use of academic accommodations and advocacy for improved supports on campus.

In theory, academic accommodations—disability-based administrative policy and course modifications—are one of the most powerful tools we have for leveling the playing field for students with disabilities. Unfortunately, many campus disability offices lack expertise in psychiatric disabilities and may hand out lists of stock accommodations that would do little to address challenges specific to mental health. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that accommodations be carefully tailored to meet individual needs. Greater awareness of the types of accommodations for mental health conditions is critical. The resources listed below can help students and instructors develop accommodation plans that are much more likely to address complex mental health needs.

While we regularly hear about students placed on mandated leaves of absence, some campuses have taken a much more compassionate approach. For example, some campuses provide wraparound case management designed to help students connect the dots across otherwise siloed university divisions. At other universities, administrators have developed dedicated programs aimed at providing proactive supports to students with significant mental health challenges. Ideally, such supports would be available on every campus. Students, families, and providers can play a major role in expanding such programs by advocating for local funding and implementation.

To learn more, join us at Recovery LIVE!: “Increasing Access to Treatment and Recovery Supports for People with Disabilities” on April 25, 2019, and check out the following resources:

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