When we set about forming our work groups and drafting Proposition 63, the state's fiscal situation was nowhere near as bad as it is now. We knew of the long-term, chronic underfunding of mental health services, but time has shown us that the situation can worsen, as it has.
Prop. 63 will provide a dedicated funding source to help solve the counties' chronic funding shortfalls, and it will enable them to address the unmet need, i.e., provide help to the people with severe mental illness who are on waiting lists or are turned away because the programs do not have the staff or resources to serve them.
In addition to providing these urgently needed resources, Prop. 63 will bring to Californians a vision for client-centered and integrated mental health services. It will give counties the resources they need to restructure their mental health system into systems that are client-centered, which is a widely accepted feature of best mental health practices.
We had a question about why Prop. 63 requires that counties administer the programs. Under the law in California, counties are responsible for administering mental health programs at the local level. That has been the law in California for decades. Counties, in turn, contract with providers to provide services. Our system of delivery of mental health services in California has been "privatized" to some degree for decades, with the private and county agencies working together to deliver services.
The system of delivery of mental health services will be vastly improved when counties have the funding to serve more people in need, and serve them in the client-centered manner, with integrated services, that meet the standard of best practices.
While I believed that Prop. 63 was essential two years ago when this all began, the need is now an urgent one. With each cut, more people with severe mental illnesses who qualify for services and are there asking help have to be turned away.
February 1, 2005
Are there any Prop 63 Community Update Meetings coming up in Sacramento, CA or Auburn, CA??
Posted by: Suzy Delisle | February 01, 2005 at 12:23 PM