Supervisors approve $1.9 million MHSA workforce plan to expand training and internships

Dr. Alice Gleghorn, deputy director of Community Behavioral Health Services, told the Budget & Finance Committee that the city received a state allocation of about $1,900,000 to fund a three-year Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) workforce development, education and training plan. She said the plan was developed through the required public planning process, posted for 30 days and incorporates community feedback.

"What you have here before you is an additional source of funding from the state for the Mental Health Services Act component of workforce development education and training," Gleghorn said. She outlined the plan's components: workforce staffing support, training and technical assistance, mental health career pathways and internship programs.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about plan development and public hearings. Chair Supervisor Jake McCullough noted there were no public comments on the item, and the committee approved the resolution on a motion brought by Supervisor Chu; the chair recorded the action "without objection." The motion authorized amending the MHSA agreement to include the approved expenditure plan.

The vote implements a state-directed workforce component intended to expand training capacity and create internship pathways into behavioral-health jobs. The measure does not itself change city hiring authorizations; it authorizes the spending plan and the agreement amendment required to receive and use the state allocation.

The committee moved on to other budget items; the MHSA plan approval was a discrete action recorded during the meeting and will be reflected in the city's MHSA contracts and expenditure schedule.