Memorandum of Understanding
San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services
and City of Manteca
Behavioral Health Care Services Act Integration Plan
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is made and entered into as of this day ______ by and between San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) and City of Manteca (Manteca) in order to establish the partnership and agreement to participate in annual meetings dedicated to the development of an Integrated Plan to address housing priorities and interventions for individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness with mental illness.
BACKGROUND
San Joaquin County continues to face behavioral health challenges impacted by many factors, including but not limited to the lack of affordable housing and increasing homelessness, the behavioral health workforce shortage, a youth mental health crisis, an older adult mental health crisis, and a shortage of culturally-responsive and diverse care. Many of these challenges make it difficult for individuals to navigate behavioral health care delivery systems and access services at the right time and in the right place.
To ensure residents receive the needed care, California voters approved Proposition 1 (2024) to reform the Mental Health Services Act to Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) and fund needed behavioral health facility infrastructure through Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2023 (BHIB).
The efforts to implement Proposition 1 are referred to as Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT) with the goals of improving access to care, increase accountability and transparency for publicly funded, county-administered behavioral health services, and expand the capacity of behavioral health care facilities. Under BHT, county mental health authorities are responsible for the implementation of BHSA and BHIB services and programs which include dedicated housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who have behavioral health needs. These settings will provide individuals and families experiencing behavioral health conditions with places to stay while safely stabilizing, healing, and receiving ongoing support.
BHSA requires counties to submit three-year Integrated Plans (IP) for Behavioral Health Services and Outcomes, to serve as a prospective global spending plan. Annual updates are required in the second and third years. To develop an IP, counties are to conduct a community-involved, datainformed local service planning process and provide transparency into county planning for expending BHSA funding and all other behavioral health funding sources overseen by counties.
Stakeholder involvement in this planning process for each element of the IP is essential to ensure diverse viewpoints are represented in the final plan. Stakeholders specifically required in the BHSA County Policy are representatives from the five largest cities within a county with a population greater than 200,000.
WHEREAS, BHS is designated as the mental health authority of San Joaquin County.
WHEREAS, Manteca is one of the five largest cities in San Joaquin County with constituents that include individuals and families experiencing behavioral health conditions and are homeless or atrisk of homelessness.
WHEREAS, BHSA County Policy states that IP development process must engage stakeholders and demonstrate partnerships to discuss mental health and substance use disorder policy, program planning and implementation, monitoring, workforce, quality improvement, evaluation, health equity, evaluation and budget allocations.
NOW, THEREFORE, it is mutually agreed by and before the parties hereto as follows:
PARTNERSHIP GOALS
1. Establish an evergreen collaborative partnership to discuss and address the housing priorities and needs of San Joaquin County residents;
2. Identify realistic, effective, and equitable BHSA services and programs to address housing priorities and needs of San Joaquin County; and
3. Plan, fund, and implement identified BHSA services and programs.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
BHS agrees to provide these services and actions in support of its stated goals in pursuant to BHSA County Policy and procedures:
1. Identify an employee as a contact.
2. Coordinate and facilitate at minimum one (1) meeting per year.
3. Take notes.
4. Share data.
5. Share funding information.
6. Abide by BHSA County Policy requirements for Counties, including IP development, submittal, and approval processes.
Manteca will ensure that it will provide services and actions in support of the development of the partnership with BHS and IP:
1. Identify an employee as a participant.
2. Work with BHS to set meeting date and time.
3. Actively participate in at minimum one (1) annual meeting.
4. Provide requested data.
TERM, MODIFICATIONS, AND TERMINATION
The period of this MOU shall remain in effect for nine (9) calendar years from the execution date of this MOU, which is the date of the last party signing. This will allow for three three-year Integration Plan cycles.
This MOU may be modified through a writing signed by the parties. This MOU may be terminated by any party providing a written thirty (30) calendar day notice to the other parties to the MOU, including the reason for the termination.
Notices concerning this MOU shall be given by regular mail or email address as follows:
San Joaquin County
Behavioral Health Services
Attn: BHSA Coordinator
1212 North California Street
Stockton, CA 95202
[email protected]
City of Manteca
Attn: Vielka Guarascio,
Homeless & Housing Services Manager
1001 W. Center Street
Manteca, CA 95337
[email protected]
IN WITNESS THEREOF the parties hereto have caused this MOU to be executed by authorized representatives of the stated County Departments and City Administration below:
San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services
Fay G. Vieira
Behavioral Health Director
Date
City of Manteca
Toni Lundgren
City Manager
Date