Substance Use Disorder

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.

Bridging the Divide Between Mental Health Care and Addiction Treatment

September 21, 2021

Katherine Haynes

Behavioral Health

In a Los Angeles Times op-ed, a CHCF senior program officer shares the heartbreaking story of her son’s death from mental illness and substance use, the result of being caught between two siloed health care systems. Her desire to prevent future tragedies inspires her work promoting integrated care in California.

Sobering Centers Offer Clients Pathway to Stable Lives

September 20, 2021

Bonar Menninger

Homelessness & Health Care, Medi-Cal

A conversation with Shannon Smith-Bernardin, PhD, RN, a national leader in the field.

In Their Own Words: How Fragmented Care Harms People with Both Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder

Susan Anthony, Rebecca Catterson, Suzanne Campanella

Behavioral Health, Homelessness & Health Care

CHCF commissioned interviews with 54 people enrolled in Medi-Cal who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance use disorder. The paper and accompanying videos highlight what is working — and not working — for them in the health care system.