Strengthening California’s Approach to Wellness through Innovation

The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission has released a progress report on California’s Multi-County Full Service Partnership Innovation Project designed to improve delivery of services to people with the most severe and often co-occurring mental health needs.

Funded by the Mental Health Services Act, full service partnership (FSP) programs are designed to apply a “whatever it takes” approach to partnering with individuals on their path to wellness and recovery. Currently, more than 60,000 individuals are enrolled in  FSP programs across the state, representing nearly a $1 billion annual investment in public funds.

“We know that FSP programs have tremendous potential to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, incarceration, and prolonged suffering by Californians with severe mental health needs,” said Commission Chairwoman Lynne Ashbeck. “This innovation collaborative is strengthening the way counties deliver care to Californians with the greatest needs.”

A cohort of six diverse California communities – Fresno, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Siskiyou, and Ventura – are participating in a four to five year multi-county innovation project that will leverage counties’ resources and experience to improve FSP delivery across the state.  This multi-county project is supported by the Commission with technical assistance from Third Sector, a 501(c)3 organization that is focused on improving the outcomes of public sector services.

The innovation collaborative aims to implement a more uniform data-driven approach to care, that provides counties with an increased ability to use data to improve FSP services and outcomes. Counties will leverage the collective power and shared learnings of a cohort to collaborate on how to provide the most impactful FSP programs and ultimately drive transformational change in the delivery of mental health services.

View and download a copy of the progress report here.

About the Commission

In enacting Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, California voters in 2004 created and charged the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the responsibility of driving transformational change in public and private mental health systems to achieve the vision that everyone who needs mental health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. The Commission was designed to empower stakeholders, with members representing consumers and their families, service providers, law enforcement, educators, and employers. The Commission puts consumers and families at the center of decision-making. The Commission promotes community collaboration, cultural competency, and integrated service delivery. The Commission is committed to wellness and recovery, using its authorities, resources and passion to reduce the negative outcomes of mental illness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Californians.

About Third Sector

Based in San Francisco and Boston, Third Sector is one of the leading implementers of outcomes-oriented strategies in America. Third Sector has supported 20+ communities to redirect over $1.2B in public funds to data-informed, outcomes-oriented services and programs. Third Sector’s experience includes working with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) to align over $350M in annual MHSA FSP and Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) funding and services with the achievement of meaningful life outcomes for over 25,000 Angelenos; transforming $81M in recurring mental health services in King County, WA to include new performance reporting and continuous improvement processes that enable the county and providers to better track monthly performance relative to peers and against specific, county-wide performance goals; and advising the County of Santa Clara in the development of a six-year, $32M outcomes-oriented contract intended to support individuals with serious mental illness and complex needs through the provision of community-based behavioral health services.