Mental Health Services - Oversight And Accountability Commision

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Prevention & Early Intervention (PEI)

The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) allocates 20% of the Mental Health Services Fund to counties for PEI as a key strategy to prevent mental illness from becoming severe and disabling and improve timely access for underserved populations. PEI Programs emphasize strategies to reduce negative outcomes that my result from untreated mental illness: suicide, incarcerations, school failure or dropout, unemployment, prolonged suffering, homelessness, and removal of children from their homes.

California's historic commitment to prevention and early intervention through the MHSA moves the mental health system towards a help-first instead of a fail-first strategy. PEI identifies individuals at risk of or indicating early signs of mental illness or emotional disturbance and links them to treatment and other resources. PEI creates partnerships with schools, justice systems, primary care, and a wide range of social services and community groups and locates services in convenient places where people go for other routine activities.

Resources

California Mental Health Services Act: Prevention and Early Intervention Clearinghouse

Documents

A. Submitted PEI Plans - Fiscal Years 2007-08 and 2008-09 and 2009-10

** For accessible documents please contact mhsoac@mhsoac.ca.gov

B. Approved PEI Plans- Fiscal Years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10