SB 803 (Beall) – Peer Support Specialist Certification Program passed the Senate on Special Consent 39 – 0 on Wednesday June 24. The bill is now in the Assembly, and will go to the Assembly Health Committee.
Write your support letters NOW, if you haven’t already.
Please see attached template Support Letter, CAMHPRO’s Floor Alert, and Senator Beall’s SB 803 Fact Sheet.
Please join us each month on the 2nd Thursday, at noon. CAMHPRO is changing the format of this monthly webinar again with a quarterly rotation of a Spotlight with a Guest Presenter of Model Peer Support Practices, Peer Support 4 Peer Supporters with a Guest Co-Facilitator, and Updates on CA Peer Certification.
We will invite other counties/agencies or states to present on their peer specialist service practices to demonstrate what is working and what is possible for the State of California. We will also provide policy updates, progress and funding as they happen regarding national and state peer specialist standardization or certification.
California is the last of a handful of states without a State protocol for certification of peer support specialists!
These CAMHPRO webinars are funded by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the State Consumer Network grant.
Helpful PDF Documents
17 Stakeholder Recommendations Appendix K
California Peer Specialist Timeline 3.21.18
FAQs on CA STATE CERTIFICATION 1.31.18
Senate Health_Bill_Analysis 3.12.18Tracking The Bill
The FULL TEXT and ongoing status of the CA SB 803 (Beall-D) can be found and tracked at the following website: CA Legislative Information Click on ‘TRACK’, Create account with email and password only to choose to receive notices whenever there is action on the bill, for example it is in read on the CA Senate Floor, in Committee, passed, etc.
Thu, Jun 11, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PDT
Thu, Jul 9, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PDT
Thu, Aug 13, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PDT
Thu, Sep 10, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PDT
Previously Recorded Webinars
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SB 803 Peer Certification
Senate hHealth Committee on Wednesday May 13.
Richard Pan, Chair
Committee Website Teleconference Instructions:
Due to the statewide stay-at-home order and guidance on physical distancing, seating for committee hearings will be very limited for press and for the public. All are encouraged to watch our hearing from its live stream on the Senate’s website at https://www.senate.ca.gov/
We encourage the public to submit written testimony before the hearing through the position letter portal. Please note that any written testimony submitted to the committee is considered public comment and may be read into the record or reprinted.
The Capitol will be open for attendance of committee hearings, but the public is strongly encouraged to participate via the web portal or telephonically.
Information regarding a call-in option for testimony will be made available and updated the night prior to the hearing date.
Please note: In order for your testimony to be heard clearly, you must mute any devices you are using to live stream the committee hearing prior to calling into the teleconference service.
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2000 Embarcadero Cove, Suite 400 Box 80, Oakland, CA 94606
STATEWIDE 24/7 Peer-Run Warmline –MHA-SF
Toll-free Call 1-855-845-7415 Or Chat via IM
Project Return Peer Support Network Peer-Run Warmline
Los Angeles County Residents
Warmline hours Mon-Fri 9am-10pm, Sat 11am-4pm, Sun Closed (888) 448-9777 English and by text (888) 448-4055 Spanish and by text
The OC Warmline – NAMI Orange County (714) 991-6412 Hours: 9am to 3am Monday-Friday; 10am to 3am on Saturday & Sunday Languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Farsi Interpreter Services available
Warm Line: Consumer to Consumer-The Meeting Place Clubhouse for San Diego residents only Toll Free: (800) 920-WARM (9276) and (619) 295-1055 Hours: 3:30 P.M. to 11:00 P.M., 7 days a week except Holidays.
Northern Valley Peer Run Talk Line Butte County, California–A confidential non-crisis peer support network. You are not alone, we are here to listen. Toll Free: 1-855-582-5554 Open 11:30 am-9:30 pm 7days/week 365 days/year
San Joaquin County BH Services Consumer Support Warm-Line 209-468-3585 Operating 24/7 since July of 2008. For local San Joaquin County residents only.
Warmline Connection (NAMI Sonoma) 866-960-6264 Hours: Mon-Fri 9am – 5pm
CAMHPRO AB 1938 Oppose (WORD DOCUMENT)
CAMHPRO AB 1976 Oppose (WORD DOCUMENT)
February 19, 2020
The Honorable Jim Beall
California State Senator
California State Capitol, Room 2082
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 803 (Beall): Mental health services: peer support specialist certification – SUPPORT
Dear Senator Beall: The California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations (CAMHPRO) supports Senate Bill 806, which would establish a statewide certification program for peer support specialists and would provide the structure needed to maximize the federal match for peer services under Medi-Cal. CAMHPRO is proud to be a co-sponsor of SB 803.
CAMHPRO promotes the work and missions of peer-run organizations devoted to advocacy and empowerment for mental health consumers. CAMHPRO’s mission is to transform communities and the behavioral health care system throughout California to empower, support, and ensure the rights of consumers; eliminate stigma, and advance self-determination for all those affected by mental health issues.
In supporting a Peer Support Specialist Certification Program in California, CAMHPRO joins the formidable array of California organizations, counties and individuals advocating for growth in high quality peer/family support services and peer specialist career development. Through support of SB 803, we look to finally bring peer support specialist certification to California.
Programmatically, peer certification makes sense
Numerous research studies support the efficacy and cost effectiveness of peer specialist services. Peer services, as opposed to traditional services alone, lead to less inpatient services, decreased symptoms, increased coping skills and life satisfaction, reduced overall ongoing need for mental health services, and decreased substance use.
Across California, peers are already providing peer support services. However, there is no statewide scope of practice, standardized curriculum, training standards, supervision standards, or certification protocol. Few counties that provide peer support services require training prior to hire. The benefits of Peer Certification for peer support are obvious.
Peer certification:
Defines the service of peer support;
Provides a standardized scope of practice, values and ethics, and competencies;
Assures that practitioners receive standardized training and demonstrate competency;
Ensures that service recipients will receive the same quality of services regardless of where in California they live;
Provides a basis for the ability to bill Medi-Cal for services provided; and
Allows for portability of Certification between counties.
Peer Certification also makes good fiscal sense, and California is one of only two states in the nation without it.
In 2007, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a guidance letter to all State Medicaid Directors emphasizing, “peer support services are an evidence-based mental health model of care which consists of a qualified peer support provider who assists individuals with their recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders.” CMS encouraged states to establish a state certification process for training, credentialing, supervision and care coordination. (CMS, SMDL #07-011). This enables the use of federal Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) financial participation with a 50% match. Currently, 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs, have implemented protocols to certify peer specialists, enabling them to leverage Medicaid funds. However, California has not acted and Californians deserve better!
Initially funded by Department of Mental Health and then Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), California began an in-depth and focused look at peer certification in 2011.Substantial grassroots work has been done toward peer certification since 2012 and substantial government funds have already been invested into developing peer certification in California.
SB 803 makes sense from both a policy and fiscal perspective and will provide more comprehensive assistance to people in need. CAMHPRO is proud to be part of a statewide movement to bring California up to speed with the rest of the nation in recovery and resiliency services through a state protocol for Medi-CAL billing and certification of peer support specialists.
Sincerely,
Sally Zinman
Executive Director
CAMHPRO
sallyzinman@gmail.com
Visit our Policy Positions Page and view the newest material and evidence for Peer Positions.
Evidence for Peer Positions (2020) This document provides 4 detailed examples of fact-based evidence for Peer Support Specialists and the kind of work that’s available.
The Bay Area Warm Line goes Statewide
By Leah Harris
In a massive victory for peer-run services and crisis prevention, California Governor Gavin Newsom allocated $10.8 million for three years for the existing San Francisco-based Peer-Run Warm Line to expand beyond Northern California to cover the whole state. Local advocates and State Sen. Scott Weiner and Assembly Budget Committee Chair Phil Ting, both of San Francisco, worked with the governor to get the Warm Line funded in the state budget.
Loneliness and social isolation have a tremendously negative impact on health and can even lead to premature death. The Peer-Run Warm Line helps to create a connection and reduce the human toll of social isolation. Such supports may be especially needed in rural areas where isolation may be more widespread. Warmline director Peter Murphy told Capital Public Radio: “Especially for isolated areas, rural areas, it can be a great service to provide support for people who may not have very good access to mental health services.”
The Warm Line is an important prevention resource, meant to be used before an individual reaches the crisis point. As the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which houses the warmline call center, explains on its website:
Think of a pot that’s been left unattended and has started to boil over. Things are burning and smoke is filling the room, and we have to act now to prevent the damage from getting worse. Distress left for too long can be like that pot–suddenly boiling over into a crisis.
But it takes time and a lot of heat to get to that boiling point. What if we’d done something sooner, while things were warming up but not yet dangerously hot?
At a press conference last fall, State Sen. Weiner talked about the people the Warm Line was made for: “So many Californians – they may not quite be in crisis, but they are just about in crisis, or at risk of going into crisis. They have some real challenges, and they feel alone, and isolated. They don’t necessarily want to go to the emergency room, or they maybe don’t have the resources to seek out mental health care or counseling, but they need support.”
The San Francisco-based Warm Line provides free, non-emergency support and referrals to California residents via the toll-free phone line at 855-845-7415. Warm Line peer workers can also be reached via instant message. A recent press release from Assemblyman Ting’s office indicated that the Warm Line would ramp up to 24/7 by 2020, and expects about 25,000 calls per year.
For further reading:
California Launches Peer-Run Mental Health ‘Warm’ Line (Capital Public Radio)
