Since launching in 2022, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has connected over 1 million Californians to needed support, with monthly calls doubling and counselors de-escalating situations that once would have resulted in police response. But implementation […]
Mental health and substance use parity is the idea that insurance plans should cover mental health and substance use treatment the same way they do physical health. In the United States, the 2008 Mental Health and Addiction […]
Module 6 of the BHSA County Policy Manual writes AB 348’s presumptive eligibility criteria into the state’s core guidance for Full Service Partnerships. Here’s what that means and why it matters.
Much like the needs of Californians, there are many different types of professionals who make up the state’s behavioral health workforce. Here’s your break down all clinical and non-clinical behavioral health providers: what they do, credentials needed, and more.
As of July 1, 2026, counties are operating under their BHSA Integrated Plans. Here’s your guide to what they are, how they differ from prior plans, and how to read one yourself.
When navigating California behavioral health policy, you cannot escape the alphabet soup of acronyms. This is your essential cheat sheet to mental health and substance use disorder acronyms, organized by treatment models, facilities, state agencies, and legislative initiatives.
BHCIP funding has reached a wide geographic footprint across California, with dozens of counties represented in each round and near-statewide coverage for mobile crisis investments.
The Assembly’s 2026-27 budget plan, released today, allocates $125 million from the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund to fund mobile crisis teams dispatched through 988 centers.
The Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) represents a large portion of the state’s funding for mental health and substance use programs. The May Revision leverages BHSA funding in an attempt to balance the budget that directly impacts California’s behavioral health systems—both in terms of funding and access. Here’s exactly how the May Revision proposes redistributing BHSA funding and what this could mean for California’s behavioral health landscape.
How AI is currently being used in mental health care, the potential benefits and risks of those applications, the emerging regulatory landscape, and the policy questions states and health systems are beginning to confront.