Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves one‑time gap funding for mental‑health prevention programs amid BHSA funding shift
Summary
Monterey County will provide one‑time contingency funding (approximately $680,000 total) to three community providers affected by the state Behavioral Health Services Act changes, while staff pursues longer‑term funding paths and state prevention grants.
Following the state’s implementation of the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), Monterey County staff told supervisors July 7 that changes in state allocations and a requirement to dedicate 30% of BHSA funds to housing interventions reduced locally available prevention funds. Staff identified 22 community providers with funding impacts; five providers saw full elimination of county prevention contracts. The board approved one‑time gap funding to support three providers while they seek sustainable funding.
Staff recommended one‑time gap funding of $580,000 from general‑fund contingencies to support Alliance on Aging, Centers for Community Advocacy (CCA), and The Village Project during fiscal year 2026–27. During deliberations, supervisors asked staff to explore additional sources and urged that community‑based organizations in South County (notably CVDIO) be considered; the board added a $100,000 amendment to the staff recommendation to support CVDIO’s indigenous‑community maternal/mental health services, bringing total contingency funding to $680,000.
Behavioral health leaders emphasized the scale of the BHSA funding changes: staff estimated the combined effect of the state share increase and the 30% housing set‑aside reduces locally available behavioral health funding by roughly $11.2 million (about 27% of prior MHSA‑era local funding). Staff said they will pursue opportunities — including Medi‑Cal administrative claiming, community‑health‑worker hub development, and forthcoming CDPH BHSA population‑prevention RFPs — to create durable revenue sources for prevention services. The board approved the one‑time contingency gap funding and directed staff to continue pursuing other funding avenues and report back.
The dollar amounts and the list of impacted providers were presented to the board; Board members stressed the urgency for South County services and asked staff to work with CAO and Health Department to explore longer‑term solutions.
