Commission approves consent calendar: innovation extensions and immigrant/refugee advocacy contract intent

The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission approved items on its consent calendar on Oct. 2, including two innovation funding actions and an intent-to-award for an immigrant and refugee advocacy contract.

Staff described the first innovation item as a Sonoma County request for up to $684,476 to extend "Crossroads to Hope," a program combining housing-first and assertive community treatment approaches for justice-involved people. The second item asked authorization for San Bernardino County to join an existing PIVOT (progressive improvements for valued outpatient treatment) innovation project with a spending authority request of up to $30,861,260 over four years to expand full-service partnership and specialty-plan capacity.

Commissioners first moved and approved items 1 and 2 together. Because one commissioner asked to pull item 3 for separate consideration, the commission then voted on item 3 alone and approved the commission’s intent to award a three-year, $502,500 contract (about $167,500 per year) for immigrant and refugee statewide advocacy to the California Panethnic Health Network; staff noted the RFP closed Sept. 5 and the announcement reflected the commission’s intent to award.

Several public commenters and commissioners praised the commission’s funding priorities and asked that the commission ensure small community-based organizations and culturally specific prevention efforts remain eligible under future IPF and program design work.

Outcome and next steps: All consent items were approved; staff will proceed with contracting steps for the immigrant and refugee advocacy award and continue to provide committee-level and commission-level reporting on grants and contract implementation.