Stakeholders See California as National Model for Revamping Mental Health Care Services

In a California Healthline Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed efforts to revamp mental health care services in California and nationwide.

In 2004, California voters approved Proposition 63 to allocate funds for mental health care services, early intervention and prevention.

Now, state Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is asking Congress to invest $10 billion for mental health programs nationwide. Steinberg says that California could serve as a national model for funding and improving mental health care services.

The Special Report includes comments from:

Kirsten Barlow, associate director for legislation and public policy at the California Mental Health Directors Association;
Sonoma County Mental Health Director Michael Kennedy;
Rusty Selix, executive director of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies; and
Steinberg (Kennedy, California Healthline, 3/13).

The complete transcript of this Special Report is available as a PDF.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>Stakeholders See California as National Model for Revamping Mental Health Care Services</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2013-03-13T00:00:00-07:00">
			March 13, 2013		</time>
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<p>In a <i>California Healthline</i> Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed efforts to revamp mental health care services in California and nationwide.</p><p>In 2004, California voters approved Proposition 63 to allocate funds for mental health care services, early intervention and prevention.</p><p>Now, state Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is asking Congress to invest $10 billion for mental health programs nationwide. Steinberg says that California could serve as a national model for funding and improving mental health care services.</p><p>The Special Report includes comments from:</p><ul><li>Kirsten Barlow, associate director for legislation and public policy at the California Mental Health Directors Association;</li><li>Sonoma County Mental Health Director Michael Kennedy;</li><li>Rusty Selix, executive director of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies; and</li><li>Steinberg (Kennedy, <i>California Healthline</i>, 3/13).</li></ul><p>The complete transcript of this Special Report is <a href="https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/03/chlspecialreporttranscript031313.pdf">available as a PDF</a>.</p><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p>

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