California State Evaluation and Learning Support (Cal SEALS) for SB-82 Triage Grants

SB-82/833 are a set of grants awarded by the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) to 20 counties/entities across California to fund 30 mental health crisis intervention programs. SB-82 is specific to the Adult/ Transitional Age Youth (TAY) population and SB-833 was added later to include Child and School-County Collaborative programs. SB-82/833 funds triage personnel to provide crisis support services, divert individuals from incarceration, and lessen unnecessary hospitalizations.

Additional Project Information

Learning Health Care Network

The Learning Health Care Network (LHCN) project, led by Dr. Tara Niendam, is in its second year. This project is funded by county, state, private, and federal funding totaling $14,208,061. The LHCN primarily aims to increase the quality of mental health services, including measurable outcomes, and brings client and clinic data to clinician's fingertips using a custom application. The LHCN represents one of the first partnerships between the University of California, Davis, University of California, San Diego, and UC San Francisco with multiple California counties, building a foundation to implement and expand a collaborative and integrated Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Innovation project. Through this endeavor, all parties hope to have a larger impact on mental health services than any one county can create on their own.

To learn more about the overall EPI-CAL project, please visit the website: https://epical.ucdavis.edu/en/index.php.

San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Homeward Bound and Progressive Housing Projects

The San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (SJCBHS) contracted the BHCOE to evaluate two of their state-funded projects: the Homeward Bound Initiative and the Progressive Housing Initiative. 

The Homeward Bound Initiative aims to address previous gaps in the substance use disorder continuum of care previously available to residents of San Joaquin County. In collaboration with the local non-profit healthcare provider Community Medical Centers (CMC), the project delivers a range of new community-based treatment services including medication-assisted treatment, substance use disorder counseling, sobering, and case management to county residents free at the point of use. The role of the BHCOE is to evaluate the impact of these services on recovery outcomes and recidivism. 

The Progressive Housing Initiative is an innovative housing program for housing insecure individuals with comorbid substance use and serious mental health disorders. The initiative adopts a modified Housing First approach, where clients are housed in a shared home at the level that corresponds to their stage of recovery. The project is being delivered as a joint effort between SJCBHS and Stockton Self Help Housing. The BHCOE is adopting a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the implementation and impact of this program.

The Progressive Housing Initiative is supported by an innovation grant from the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), while Homeward Bound is supported both by the MHSOAC and the California Board of State and Community Corrections.