Substance Use Disorder

People with Serious Mental Illness Find Community in a Clubhouse

October 19, 2023

Behavioral Health, Homelessness & Health Care

Clients of a San Francisco mental health provider are creating a special place called a “Clubhouse” where they can feel comfortable socializing and can ward off the significant health damage caused by loneliness.

Providers Want to Lower Families’ High Hopes for CARE Courts

September 13, 2023

Behavioral Health, Homelessness & Health Care

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s big new experiment to push people with mental illness off the streets and into treatment starts this fall. Counties responsible for the rollout say it may end up being more modest than advertised.

The California Street Medicine Landscape Survey and Report

USC Street Medicine

Homelessness & Health Care

This study is the first to examine and report on the current state of street medicine in California. With the largest concentration of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the nation, California is well positioned to scale the street medicine model to reach more people in need.

Getting Out of Prison Is ‘Terrifying’

February 13, 2023

Nisi Marie Wilder, J. Duncan Moore, Jr.

Medi-Cal, Behavioral Health, Health Equity

A Californian recounts her experience of being released from incarceration before her Medi-Cal coverage kicked in.

Finally, an Effective Treatment for Methamphetamine Addiction

October 25, 2022

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal

A new Medi-Cal program uses psychology principles to incentivize stimulant users to stay sober.

Advancing Behavioral Health Outcomes in Primary Care

Behavioral Health

The Advancing Behavioral Health Outcomes in Primary Care project is a learning collaborative of 14 CHCs with the goal of improving behavioral health outcomes, especially among Black, Latino/x, Indigenous, Asian Pacific Islander, LGBTQA, and non-English-speaking patients.

A Qualitative Study of Expanded Methadone Take-Home Access in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Behavioral Health

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, federal guidance permitted greater access to methadone "take-home doses" for people in treatment for opioid use disorder. This paper reviews the treatment experiences of patients and providers at an opioid treatment program in San Francisco.

Treating Stimulant Use Disorder: CalAIM’s Contingency Management Pilot

Héctor Hernández-Delgado

Behavioral Health

Contingency management is an effective treatment for people trying to reduce or stop their use of methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. California's Department of Health Care Services will soon launch a pilot program offering contingency management to Medi-Cal enrollees in several counties statewide.

Learning from COVID-19: How Pandemic-Era Policies for Methadone Prescribing Could Improve Opioid Treatment

Leslie Suen, Oanh Nguyen, Kelly Knight

Behavioral Health

Emergency regulations instituted as COVID-19 reached the US allowed patients who may not otherwise have qualified for methadone take-home doses to receive them.

Patience, Commitment Help Journalists Capture Harsh Realities of Fentanyl Addiction

Behavioral Health

A conversation with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani and photojournalist Stephen Lam about how they approached a project that dug deep below the surface of the city's overdose crisis.

Biden Lays Out His Health Policy Agenda

Alyssa Llamas, Dawn Joyce

Behavioral Health, Health Care Costs

Some of his key items are already underway via administrative actions, while others require legislative action in Congress.

Expanding Substance Use Care: Health Plan Teams Up with Seven California Counties

Behavioral Health

In this regional Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System program, the counties provide financial resources, and Partnership HealthPlan of California administers the program.

Mobile Crisis Teams: A State Planning Guide for Medicaid-Financed Crisis Response Services

Behavioral Health

This paper provides a review of the requirements of the American Rescue Plan Act as it pertains to community-based mobile crisis intervention services. It also highlights state considerations that will support a more robust crisis continuum, including 988 planning.

Federal Policy Recommendations to Support State Implementation of Medicaid-Funded Mobile Crisis Programs

Behavioral Health

In light of new federal funding policies and the upcoming launch of the 988 behavioral health crisis line, this paper identifies important issues in mobile crisis implementation and describes ways that federal agencies could support state and local efforts.

2022 Edition — Substance Use in California

Allison Valentine, Molly Brassil

Behavioral Health

California's health care system is moving toward acknowledging substance use disorders (SUDs) as chronic illnesses, yet only about 10% of people with an SUD in the last year received treatment. Substance Use in California: Prevalence and Treatment provides an overview of substance use and addiction in the state.