Behavioral Health - California Health Care Foundation

Behavioral Health
The burden of untreated behavioral health conditions – encompassing mental health and substance use disorders – is both a major public health problem and a delivery system challenge. CHCF works to improve systems of behavioral health care and to focus on integrating mental health, substance use, and physical health services to achieve the best outcomes for low-income Californians.

Sign up for CHCF updates

Substance Use in California: A Look at Addiction and Treatment

Behavioral Health

About 8% of Californians met criteria for substance use disorder, but only 10% of people with a substance use disorder received any type of treatment. CHCF's first Almanac publication to address this topic provides an overview of substance use and addiction in the state.

Medi-Cal Moves Addiction Treatment into the Mainstream

Molly Brassil, Carol Backstrom, Erynne Jones

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal, Opioid Safety

A fundamental shift is underway in California to expand, improve, and reorganize Medi-Cal’s system for treating people with substance use disorders. This report summarizes the experiences of the first counties to implement this new approach.

Overcoming Data-Sharing Challenges in the Opioid Epidemic

Robert Belfort, Alex Dworkowitz

Behavioral Health, Opioid Safety

Federal confidentiality rules, such as the "Part 2" rules, can be a stumbling block for primary care practices seeking to integrate substance use disorder treatment. This paper summarizes the rules and outlines steps that practices can take to coordinate care and stay within the law.

Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal, Opioid Safety

In Medi-Cal, treatment for patients with substance use disorder has long been run out of a separate program. Now California is implementing a broad move to modernize this system of care.

California’s Current and Future Behavioral Health Workforce

Janet Coffman, Timothy Bates, Igor Geyn, Joanne Spetz

Behavioral Health, Opioid Safety, Workforce

This report synthesizes data about California’s behavioral health workforce. California needs to make substantial investments to meet future demand for behavioral health professionals.

Mental Health in California: For Too Many, Care Not There

Behavioral Health, Providers

This Almanac report provides an overview of mental health in California: disease prevalence, suicide rates, supply and use of treatment providers, and mental health in the correctional system, plus available data on spending and quality of care.

From Corrections to Community: Reentry Health Care

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal

People in jail or prison experience high rates of physical and mental health problems within complex social contexts. CHCF is working with partners to improve the coordination and delivery of care for those leaving correctional settings and returning to the community.

California Survey Finds Strong Support for Behavioral Health Benefits

Catherine Teare

Behavioral Health, ACA/Health Reform

Meaningful insurance coverage of mental health and substance use disorder is a reality for millions more people under the ACA, and Californians recognize its value.

Across the Tracks: To End Homelessness, See the Whole Person

Sandra R. Hernández

The rising rate of homelessness is a call to action. It is time to make health care work for all Californians.

Community Paramedics Hit the Streets in Stanislaus County: An Early Look

Behavioral Health, Providers

Paramedics can help people in crisis without a ride to the ER. Stanislaus County's community paramedics show the challenges they overcome to deliver effective mental health care.

Fine Print: Rules for Exchanging Behavioral Health Information in California

Deven McGraw, Robert Belfort, Alex Dworkowitz

Behavioral Health

The exchange of behavioral health information is constrained by operational challenges and legal concerns. Manatt Health describes the regulatory framework for sharing such data in California.

ACAP Medicaid Innovation Challenge Selects Winner from Diverse Field of 70+ Digital Health Companies

Behavioral Health, Investing in Innovation

As part of its effort to encourage entrepreneurs to enter the Medicaid market, CHCF co-sponsored the ACAP Medicaid Innovation Challenge, whose winner, AbleTo, receives $100,000 and a pilot opportunity.

CIN Partners Share: Behavioral and Physical Health Care, Better Together

Behavioral Health, Patient-Centered Care

For the California Improvement Network's November 2015 meeting, partners discussed how physical and behavioral health are better together.

Quartet

Behavioral Health

Quartet's digital platform improves care coordination between primary and behavioral health care providers whose patients have both chronic physical and mental health issues.