Commission staff to build BHSA community-planning toolkit, amend advocacy contracts to include BHSA priority populations

Commission staff told the Legislative & External Affairs Advisory Committee on Sept. 18 that they will develop a plain-language community-planning toolkit to help community members — particularly those in underserved groups — engage in the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) county planning process.

Assistant Deputy Director Ryan Kopcheck described the toolkit as a “reverse” of the county-oriented Cal MESA guidance: instead of telling counties how to run engagement, the toolkit will tell community organizations and residents how to find meetings, whom to contact, and how to meaningfully participate.

“We want to help community members meaningfully participate in the community planning process, be aware of the process, and promote equity, transparency and accountability,” Kopcheck said.

Staff plans to compile a centralized list of county contacts, meeting schedules and public engagement opportunities and publish that information on the commission website. Kopcheck said staff also intends to professionally design and distribute the toolkit statewide, and that staff are working with existing advocacy contractors to identify populations’ needs for inclusion in the toolkit.

The commission’s advocacy program originated under the Mental Health Services Act and has used event-based contracts; Kopcheck told the committee staff are revising contract language to require current advocacy contractors to include BHSA priority-population outreach and participation in the community planning process. He said staff are already working with contractors to amend existing agreements so that outreach to BHSA priority populations occurs ahead of the county planning cycle next year.

Public commenters stressed the urgency of outreach and the risk that traditionally underrepresented communities will be left out of local planning. Stacy Hiramoto of the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition urged the commission not to allow BHSA’s expanded stakeholder list to dilute the direct leadership role of consumers, families and community-based organizations. Sonia Young Adam, CEO of the California Black Women’s Health Project, and others asked the commission to evaluate proposals from an explicit equity lens and to consider how successful community-defined programs — including the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) — can be sustained or scaled.

Kopcheck said staff expect to publish an initial version of the toolkit in January so community stakeholders have a resource in time for counties’ first community-planning activities. The toolkit will be iterative and updated as counties finalize meeting schedules and as staff gather further input from statewide partners.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the toolkit item; staff sought commissioner input on content and scope.