Update on the Feasibility of
Establishing a More Robust
Local Infrastructure for Mental
Health Services
City Council Meeting - May 2, 2023
Background
and Approach
Background and Approach
ach
3 Vision Statement
In Long Beach, all community members have an open path to access and receive the mental health support they need to thrive.
Principles:
• The mental health workforce is sufficient to meet the need, healthy andsupported through a foundation of sustainable funding, continuousprofessional development, and the implementation of trauma-informed and resiliency best practices. • The mental health ecosystem is well coordinated and responsive to the needs of the community by providing a "no wrong door" entry into care, establishinga shared language, and unified data metrics across all providers. 4 Mental Health Data
& Long Beach
The Data
7 The Data
8 The Data
9 Behavioral Health
Systems Serving Long
Beach
Behavioral Health Systems Serving Long Beach
Mental Health
11 Behavioral Health Systems Serving Long Beach
12 Behavioral Health Systems Serving Long Beach
Types of Adult
Mental Health
Supportive
Services
13 Behavioral Health Systems Serving Long Beach
Types of
Youth Mental
Health Supportive
Services
14 Behavioral Health Systems Serving Long Beach
Substance Use Disorders Treatment System
15 Funding
16 The Role of DHHS
17 Focus Areas
& Recommendations
Section 1: Mental Health Treatment Capacity
Section 2: Prevention
Section 3: Access to Treatment
Section 4: Focus Populations
Section 1: Mental
Health Treatment
Capacity
Accomplished:
•DHHS has prioritized building capacity by investing recent state and federal workforceinfrastructure dollars to hire a Workforce Officer.
•DHHS has expanded mental health student practicum placements throughout the Department.
Mental Health Treatment Capacity
Goal 1: Build Workforce’s Capacity
Accomplished by DHHS:
• Hired a Workforce
Officer
• Expanded mental
health student
practicum placements
Short-Term Strategies:
• Work with County Departments to
grow the workforce.
• Encourage local mental health
organizations to host ongoing
continuing education and
professional development.
• Partner with local universities to
develop affordable professional
development opportunities.
• Track state initiatives to expand
workforce
Long-Term Strategies:
• Encourage the expansion of technology within
mental health providers.
• Update hiring practices to provide more
employment opportunities for those with
lived experience.
• Create employment opportunities that allow
for salary increases, student loan repayment
or tuition reimbursements.
• Support further development of the
workforce pipeline by helping to train
community mental health providers as
preceptors.
• Partner with local colleges and Workforce
Development to develop and support
educational and experiential pathways.
20 Accomplished:
•DHHS has prioritized building capacity by investing recent state and federal workforceinfrastructure dollars to hire a Workforce Officer.
•DHHS has expanded mental health student practicum placements throughout the Department.
Mental Health Treatment Capacity
Goal 2: Increase Funding
Accomplished by DHHS:
• Received $1.35 million in
grant funding from the Hilton
Foundation to support a
mobile mental health and
substance use
treatment program for people
experiencing homelessness.
Short-Term Strategies:
• Provide information to existing
service providers to connect them
with state and county mental health
grant opportunities.
• Partner with LBUSD to expand school-
based services through new
funding opportunities.
• Explore opportunities for drawing
down Medi-Cal and CalAIM funding
to support direct service models.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Pursue opportunities for direct
mental health funding to the City.
• Identify and engage in legislative
opportunities that would provide
opportunities for more
localized mental health funding.
• Partner with LA County to ensure
that providers have sustainable
and sufficient funding
throughout the entire year.
21 Section 2:
Prevention
Accomplished:
•DHHS has prioritized building capacity by investing recent state and federal workforceinfrastructure dollars to hire a Workforce Officer.
•DHHS has expanded mental health student practicum placements throughout the Department.
Prevention
Goal 1: Increase Access to Mental Health Prevention in the City Short-Term Strategies:
• Identify programs within Long Beach
currently receiving DMH prevention
efforts and work to leverage these
efforts within the City’s underserved
communities.
• Identify DMH Prevention funding
opportunities to support community-
focused mental health prevention
activities.
• Identify avenues to participate in the
DMH Prevention Mental Health
Promoters Network.
• Support the growth of trainings such
as Mental Health First Aid.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Prioritize reducing community
exposure to risk factors that
lead to mental health
conditions and increase
opportunities for social and
emotional well-being.
Accomplished by DHHS:
• Launched the city-wide
“Mental Health Matters”
awareness campaign.
23 Section 3:
Access to Treatment
Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Accomplished by DHHS
• Updated the Mental Health
Resource Guide on DHHS’
website that includes newly
identified mental health
agencies who are providing
services in Long Beach.
Goal 1: Increase Knowledge About the System
Short-Term Strategies:
• Conduct training for providers and
policymakers on the complexity of the
mental health system and how they can
best support their clients or constituents.
• Create and update a repository of
information and support tools to stay up
to date on the mental health system.
• Develop culturally appropriate
educational materials for clients and their
family on how to access the system.
• Develop a system-wide training on
generational trauma and trauma-
informed best practices.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Continue to provide trauma-
informed trainings for City
Departments and
community partners.
• Continue to routinely update
the Mental Health Resource
Guide.
25 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Accomplished by DHHS:
• LBDHHS convened the
Mental Health Advisory
Group to examine the local
mental health system who
will continue to meet to
inform the workplan related
to this report.
• Streamlined access to
available mental health
treatment with
DMH. Providers are
encouraged to contact the
Service Area 8 navigators at
(562) 256-7717 during
business hours.
Goal 2: Simplify Access Through Coordinated Efforts
Short-Term Strategies:
• Establish a structure
within DHHS to serve as a
local coordinating body for
the local behavioral health
system of care.
• Meet with County
representatives to gain
additional understanding
of the residential
treatment programs,
eligibility and access.
• Share the resources for
ombudsmen offices.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Encourage the simplification of enrollment
processes among service providers and DMH.
• Collaborate with managed care organizations to
remove barriers to referrals.
• Partner with existing service providers to
establish a “no wrong door” for behavioral
health care services.
• Establish a community-focused, language-
accessible Mental Health Resource Hub.
• Partner with the DMH to identify solutions for
patient data sharing.
• Explore information sharing through the
existing Health Information Exchange.
• Participate in State rollout of the California
Data Exchange Framework.
26 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Goal 3: Increase Services
Accomplished by DHHS:
• DHHS provided $300,000 in funding to contract with six Black mental health providers to increase access to mental health care by connecting uninsured and underinsured Black residents to culturally affirming, quality mental health services at no cost.
• Developed a current list of DMH Intensive Care Division (ICD) programs. • Toured the MLK behavioral health campus to understand service provision and coordination of services across systems.
• Conducted a survey completed by 23 Mental Health Advisory Group partners to identify existing capacity to treat more clients and/or what would be required to increase capacity 27 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Short-Term Strategies:
• Partner with non-traditional providers
that offer counseling provided by
mental health professionals.
• Engage DMH to determine the
potential for a Clergy Academy in Long
Beach.
• Partner with City departments,
community organizations, and faith-
based organizations to allow for
mental health assessments and
referrals on site.
• Partner with service organizations to
locate mental health providers in non-
traditional locations.
Goal 3: Increase Services - Outpatient Care
Long-Term Strategies:
• Expand mental health services to adults with
depression and anxiety by meeting with
Managed Care Plans to explore expansion
of mental health network and
improve access to existing providers.
• Encourage employers to cover mental health
care as part of their benefits to all
employees.
• Investigate opportunities for DHHS to
become a mental health provider.
• Partner with DMH to fund additional
providers in the community.
28 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Goal 3: Increase Services - Crisis Response
Accomplishments by DHHS:
• DHHS has hired and onboarded all
staff on the CCR pilot and will
launch in Spring 2023.
Short-Term Strategies:
• Build relationships with service
providers to refer CCR clients to
ongoing support.
• Implement a data and
evaluation strategy to evaluate
the program.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Expand CCR Team by exploring
additional funding opportunities
at the County, State and Federal
levels.
• Expand response teams to 24/7
and city-wide operations.
29 Accomplished: v
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Access to Treatment
Goal 3: Increase Services - Intensive Care
Long-Term Strategies:
• Identify locations within the City that
could serve as an intensive treatment
location, partner with DMH and support
provider ability to utilize those spaces.
• Collaborate with DMH ICD and
community agencies to implement
programs in Long Beach that serve
individuals with intensive care needs.
• Partner with DMH to identify sustainable
funding, streamlined access, and
coordination of services.
Short-Term Strategies:
• Meet with representatives of the SAPC to
understand the residential treatment programs,
including eligibility and access.
• Leverage SAPC expansion opportunities
• Engage with DMH ICD to better understand
intensive services.
• Identify whether mental health providers with
an interest in providing facilities and encourage
them to apply for DMH funding.
• Convene meetings with providers interested in
enhancing their programs by adding substance
use treatment services for those with co-
occurring disorders.
30 Section 4: Focus
Populations
Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Focus Populations
Short-Term Strategies:
• Pursue opportunities to support
the addition of specialized beds
for recuperative care and step
down after behavioral health
hospitalization.
• Partner with the DHS and DMH
to provide specialized staff that
can support a wide range of
both mental health and medical
needs in shelter settings.
• Partner with DMH to reestablish
co-location of DMH staffing at
the MSC.
People Experiencing Homelessness
Long-Term Strategies:
• Work with DMH to create
additional full-service
partnership slots within
Long Beach.
• Work to increase
supportive housing units.
• Increase capacity of
existing Board and Care
beds to increase housing
retention.
• Work to increase intensive
service locations.
Accomplishments by DHHS:
• Expanded mental health hours at the Multi-
Service Center (MSC), with support
from mental health clinicians through the Black
Health Equity Fund.
• Established low-barrier mental
health programming at the MSC.
• Expanded the REACH program.
• Implemented a mobile therapy van to
provide therapy/treatment services for mental
health and/or substance use.
• Increased the availability of the LA County Dept
of Health Services (DHS) mobile medical clinic.
• Hired a part-time psychiatrist for the MSC.
• Worked to access the DHS charting system to
improve coordination as well as the ability to
refer to specialized beds.
32 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Focus Populations
Accomplishments by DHHS:
• Submitted for a multi-year
DMH Innovations project to
support mental health
prevention and intervention
services for TAY .
• Secured a location and
funding to open a 12-bed
shelter for youth
experiencing homelessness
which will include referrals
to mental health services.
Transition-Aged Youth (TAY)
Short-Term Strategies:
• Further engage with
the Long Beach
Unified School District,
California State
University Long Beach
and Long Beach City
College to understand
gaps in services for
disproportionately imp
acted students and
support the
coordination of
services.
Long-Term Strategies:
• Improve access to health,
mental health and trauma
services by coordinating with
the Long Beach Youth Services
Network to engage health and
mental health agencies,
streamline referral processes,
address policy and systemic
barriers, and increase
knowledge of
available services with a focus
on improving mental health
outcomes for Black youth.
33 Accomplished:
•Updated the Mental Health Resource Guide on LBDHHS’ website that includes newly identified mental health agencies who are providing services in Long Beach.
Conclusion
• Given State regulation, funding, disparate systems, and scope existing services in Long Beach, the DHHS/City
does not seek to open a local Department of Mental
Health.
• The DHHS will focus its efforts on:
• Partnering with LA County to leverage efforts to
locate additional services in the City.
• Convening local and regional partners to continue
planning and to increase education and capacity.
• Coordinating existing services and systems existing in the City
• Advocating to grow and expand the local system as
funding and capacity become available.
34 Kelly Colopy, Director
Health and Human Services Department
[email protected]