The Imperative for Transformational Change

The Imperative for Transformational Change

The next four years have the potential to be a turning point in the history of mental health care in California. Once-in-a-generation investment and public attention have set the stage for transformational change, but it will take ambitious, collective action to integrate and improve California’s underlying mental health system.

The Mental Health Services Act was designed to improve financing, design, and distribution of mental health services through local systems of care. Twenty years later, too many Californians still suffer from the seven negative outcomes the act seeks to reduce: suicide, incarceration, school failure, unemployment, prolonged suffering, homelessness, and child welfare involvement.

To fulfill the MHSA’s vision for transformational change, additional  improvements are required in policies, institutions, agencies and services. Transformational change requires:

• Evolving the fragmented and siloed services into an integrated, culturally competent system of care that is accessible regardless of geography or cultural background.
• Empowering communities – especially the most vulnerable, high risk and historically disadvantaged residents – so their needs and priorities are understood, they can participate in the design of services, and advocate for continued improvement.
• Resourcing state and local agencies and service providers so they have the capacity and workforce to manage toward better outcomes and continuous improvement across communities, services, and providers.

The Commission will catalyze this change by working through partnerships and strategically deploying its capabilities.