Recent Commission Projects

Recent Commission Projects

These Commission projects reveal the value of engaging community perspectives, experts, public agencies and services providers in efforts to improve services and outcomes – and the imperative to accelerate progress toward comprehensive community-based systems of care.

Criminal Justice Project. The Commission’s report Together We Can: Reducing Criminal Justice Involvement for People with Mental Illness recommended ways to prevent people with mental health challenges from becoming involved with criminal justice systems. The Legislature authorized $5 million to the Commission to develop the Innovation Incubator that worked with counties to implement the recommendations.

Suicide Prevention Project. Assembly Bill 114 directed the Commission to develop a statewide strategic suicide prevention plan, which resulted in the Commission adopting Striving for Zero: California’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention, 2020-2025.

School Mental Health Project. The Commission’s report Every Young Heart and Mind: Schools as Centers for Wellness recommended ways to increase mental health services through partnerships between county behavioral health departments and local education agencies.

Prevention and Early Intervention Project. In 2018, Senate Bill 1004 directed the Commission to strengthen prevention and early intervention in California’s public mental health system. The Commission’s report Wellness and Thriving: Advancing Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health provides a vision and framework to guide prevention and early intervention in mental health across California.

Workplace Mental Health Project. In 2018, Senate Bill 1113 directed the Commission to establish a framework for promoting mental health in the workplace. The Commission developed five voluntary standards that employers may adopt to support the mental health of employees.

Racial Equity Plan. The Commission’s Racial Equity Action Plan build‘s on the Commission’s understanding of the problem and fortifies Commission staff using diversity, equity and inclusion best practices.