Karen Larsen, CEO of the Steinberg Institute, reflects on the “us vs them” mentality between supporters of Proposition 1 and the Peer Support Specialist movement—and how framing the two as competing priorities presents a false choice.
How alternative destination programs work—and what they mean for California’s behavioral health system When someone in California experiences a behavioral health crisis, help usually comes through a 911 call, where they get sent to an emergency department. […]
The Leadership in Action Award is a new honor created by the Steinberg Institute to recognize leaders who exemplify the goals of Vision 2030—the Institute’s ambitious initiative to cut homelessness, incarceration, and hospitalization for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders by 50 percent across California. Dr. Ghaly is the first recipient of the award.
Placer County new behavioral health level of care, Mid-Service Partnerships (MSPs), offer an option for people whose needs fall in between low-intensity clinic services and highly intensive Full Service Partnerships (FSPs). Learn more about what MSPs are and how they work.
The CalAIM Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative allows Medi-Cal services to begin before release from incarceration. Learn what it is, how it works, and why it matters for behavioral health access.
In less than 24 hours, the federal government reversed course and reinstated previously terminated SAMHSA grants. While the initial disruption should never have happened, this moment shows the impact of collective action and the importance of continued vigilance to safeguard these life-saving programs.
On January 13, the federal government abruptly terminated Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants that support community-based mental health and substance use disorder services across the country—threatening California’s hard-fought progress to improve mental health and substance use care.
When enhanced federal Medicaid funding expires in 2027, mobile crisis response may become an optional benefit—shifting costs to counties and putting service continuity at risk across California. Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2026-27 budget, released today, reflects a continued […]
By adding a behavioral health option to 911 calls, Phoenix is evolving emergency response to better match people in crisis with the care they need. Source: Center for American Progress Behavioral health crises make up a growing […]
What does good implementation really look like? Steinberg Institute’s Director of Implementation, Tracey Dickinson, shares lessons from the field on turning behavioral health policy into practice in California.