Hot Off the Press: Follow the NAMI California Blog for the Latest Advocacy News
Want to know what the NAMI California Advocacy team is up to? What's happening at the Capitol? How you can be more involved? Take a look at the NAMI California Blog posts on our website here: Advocacy Blog.
Find out about our newest effort, the Capitol Coalition, upcoming legislative conference calls and all the things we do to support your work in the community. It's an easy read, full of news and notes, and the place to find out about what we do and how you can become a part!
Two NAMI California Regional Meetings: Contra Costa County March 20 and El Dorado County April 28
NAMI California has finalized our Regional Meeting schedule for 2013-2014.
We will be holding a Foothill Area Regional Meeting in El Dorado County on MONDAY, APRIL 28, from 9:30am to 3:00pm at Faith Episcopal Church, 2200 Country Club Dr., Cameron Park, CA 95682. The following affiliates and County Mental Health providers are invited: El Dorado, Sacramento, Amador, Calaveras, Placer, Tuolumne, and Nevada Counties.
We will be holding a Bay Area Regional Meeting in Contra Costa County on THURSDAY, MARCH 20, from 9:30am to 3:00pm at Hillcrest Congregational Church, 404 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA. The following affiliates and County Mental Health providers are invited: Contra Costa, Alameda, Sonoma, Solano, Berkeley City, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco Counties.
Please consider attending the Regional Meeting nearest you, and explore with your county mental health department as to whether they might participate as well.
To RSVP or for more information contact David Czarnecki at [email protected] or by phone at 916-567-0163.
Disability Rights California (DRC) Releases New Mental Health Resources
DRC has released four new publications to help consumers understand that health insurance must provide equal coverage for physical and mental health conditions.
The following reports have been posted:
- Ensure Your Health Insurance Provides Equal Coverage For Mental Health Benefits
- Ensure Your Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan Provides Equal Coverage For Mental Health And Substance Use Disorder Benefits
- Final Regulations Implementing Federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008
- Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans, Mental Health And Substance Use Disorder Benefits And Your Right To Equal Coverage
These, and other resources, can be found HERE.
Contact: Margaret Jakobson-Johnson at [email protected].
OSHPD Releases 5 Year Plan
On January 17, 2014 the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) received approval from the California Mental Health Planning Council to move forward with the MHSA WET Five-Year Plan 2014-2019.
A copy of the final WET Five-Year Plan 2014-2019 can be found HERE.
OSHPD is now moving forward with the critical implementation phase of the MHSA WET Five-Year Plan 2014-2019 and will continue engaging stakeholders in the implementation of activities as outlined in the WET Five-Year Plan. We will also continue holding our Advisory Committee meetings which are open to members of the public. We hope to have your continued engagement in our future efforts as we move forward.
If you have any questions please email: [email protected]
How Will California's Penal System Respond to The 'Perfect Storm'?
California's system of incarceration is in the midst of sweeping changes. Recent shifts in state and federal law, motivated and bolstered by Supreme Court decisions, have created a perfect storm for institutional change. But as with any storm, it can be difficult to predict what can be done to prepare and what will be left when the clouds clear.
What caused this perfect storm in California? In 2011, the Supreme Court found in Brown v. Plata that California's prisons could not meet the mental and physical health needs of the inmates because of prison overcrowding. To avoid violating the VIII Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, the Court mandated that California prisons decrease their over-crowded prison populations to 137.5 percent of their design capacity within two years. Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 109 ('Realignment') to facilitate this transition.
Read the full article HERE.
-- Caliph Assagai
Legislation and Public Policy Director
NAMI California Advocacy Survey
[email protected]