Adoption of the MHSA Innovation Project allows Contra Costa BHS to spend funds already allocated under the Innovation component, and avoid risk of reversion of said funds. The Supporting Equity Through Community-Defined Practices project has been approved by the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), and includes a total budget of $6,119,182 over three years, through Fiscal Year 2025-26.

Proposition 63 was passed by California voters in the November 2004 election. Now known as the Mental Health Services Act (MSHA), the legislation provides public mental health funding by imposing an additional one percent tax on individual taxable income in excess of one million dollars. Innovation is one of the five MHSA components. The MHSOAC who oversees the MHSA approved this project at their March 23, 2023 Board meeting.   
  
The intent of this project is to increase health care equity and access to behavioral health services by underserved communities (including Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Latino/a/x, Black/African American, LGBTQ) through community-driven practices that are aligned with their cultural and linguistic needs and are offered by members of their community. This project was created in collaboration with the community through an extensive stakeholder process that began in December 2021. The approved project proposal is attached.

If this action is not approved, it would result in the loss of an opportunity that has had tremendous support from the stakeholder community to support equity in health care services by lifting up community-based and culturally-defined wellness initiatives and ultimately increase engagement in behavioral health care services by underserved groups.