Governor Wants To Add Staff To Oversee Spending Of Mental Health Funds Following Critical Audit
A report earlier in the year indicated that counties had amassed $2.5 billion in unspent funds that were meant to go to mental health services.
Capital Public Radio:
Governor, Lawmakers Offer Solutions For California Counties That Don’t Spend Mental-Health Funds
The Mental Health Services Act provides funding to counties so they can offer mental health prevention and treatment services to Medi-Cal patients. Brown wants to spend $6.7 million on new staff at the Department of Health Care Services to oversee how counties use the state money. (Caiola, 5/17)
In other news —
The California Health Report:
Alarmed By Disparities, Lawmakers Order Audit On Children's Access To Medi-Cal Doctors
A joint committee of lawmakers unanimously ordered an audit Wednesday on children’s access to primary-care doctors in the Medi-Cal program, the state’s low-income health program that is overseen by the California Department of Health Care Services. The issue of pediatric Medi-Cal enrollees having inconsistent access to primary care caught the attention of two California lawmakers, Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Eureka, and Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres. They recently asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to approve the audit. (Shinkman, 5/17)