Mental Health Services Act Update and Plan Approved
Author: Behavioral Health Department
Date: 1/15/2019 5:18 PM
The Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Annual Update to the Three-Year Plan for Fiscal Years 2017-20 for San Luis Obispo County's Mental Health Services Act activities was approved by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.
The Behavioral Health Department is required to provide the State with an Annual Update to its Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) work plan and budget projection. The Annual Update provides data and reports on the wide variety of MHSA programs and activities for the previous fiscal year (2017-2018), as well as proposed changes for 2018-2019, and fiscal projections through 2019-2020.
MHSA is dedicated to transforming the public mental health system and seeks to reduce the long-term adverse impact from untreated serious mental illness. Details of the positive impact MHSA funded programs have had on our community can be found, in further detail, within the pages of the Annual Update.
Examples of this year’s Annual Update highlights include:
Of the 142 "Full Service Partnership" clients served during FY 2017-2018:
- Homelessness of clients was reduced by 55%
- Emergency room visits were reduced 48%
- Jail days of clients were reduced 96%
- Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) days were reduced 75%
In 2017-2018, 528 youth and 229 parents participated in the Middle School Comprehensive Project, a student assistance program, and demonstrated an increase in protective factors and a decrease in risk factors related to mental health. Specific outcomes include:
- 25% improvement in self-esteem;
- 13% reduction in physical fights and threats;
- 38% increase in coping skills;
- 18% reduction in suicidal ideation and self-harm; and
- 18% increase in school connectedness/engagement.
