May 5, 2023 A letter to Dr. Bergmann, Director, San Diego County, Behavioral Health Services (BHS). I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you after the Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB) meeting last week. Although I no doubt have irritated you and others due to an apparent lack of tact…
Posts published in “BHAB Duties, MHSA & Law”
Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB) Member Training Regrettably, a significant number, if not most, of BHAB board members have not yet received advisory board training provided by the California Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions (CALBHBC) [i]. This training is provided annually in January of each year. CALBHBC could provide such training virtually or locally for under $1k. Local Ethics Training…
The first chart represents the status quo. The second chart represents a proposed realignment of the processes Behavioral Health Services (BHS) and the Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB) use to conduct their respective duties insofar as the planning, review, and outcome evaluations as required by law. Paramount is how the community of stakeholders, from consumers to professionals will be engaged…
This is post 4 of 4 in the series “BHS Planning & Budgeting Cycle” Let’s Collaborate! Improving BHS Planning, Outcome, & Feedback Cycles The Current BHS Planning Process & Timeline Cycle is Broken If the BHS & BHAB Planning Calendar Went to Rehab it Could Look Like This BHAB and BHS Planning & Engagement Processes – An Update Here’s an…
Technically, this is a draft report I authored and shared today with the Stakeholder Engagement workgroup. It reflects my perceptions, not that of the workgroup who are seeing it for the first time. All told, my goals include outlining challenges we face here in San Diego County while ensuring an authentic group of representative stakeholders are being meaningfully engaged throughout…
The following are excerpts of key California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) provisions that mandate responsibilities of county Behavioral Health Advisory Boards. WIC 5604.2(a) – Local mental health board responsibilities: Review and evaluate the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities, and special problems. Review any county agreements entered into pursuant to Section 5650. Advise the governing body and the local…
Community MHSA Training – Don’t Miss!
BHAB Duties, MHSA & Law, Focus & Commentary, Stakeholder Engagement and Training & Education
It’s great to see the Behavioral Health Services (BHS) launching two get-to-know-the-MHSA training sessions over the next week. Do you feel engaged? I sat on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB) for six years (and the Alcohol & Other Drug Advisory Board for several years prior) and even I and many of my peers didn’t feel engaged. It’s a problem.…