NEW: CARE Act Annual Report, Implementation Update, and Upcoming Training
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On June 27, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the first Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act Annual Report, which provides details on implementation progress during the first nine months of CARE (October 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024). The Annual Report builds on the CARE Act Early Implementation Legislative Report that was released in November 2024.
The Annual Report is also accompanied by a new Implementation Update (July 2025), which includes updated numbers on CARE petitions and diversions (people diverted from CARE and connected to services voluntarily) beyond the dates included in the Annual Report.
Statewide data through May 2025 shows that since the CARE Act launched, more than 3,300 individuals have been engaged statewide through petitions or outreach-based diversions. As of May 31, 2025, 2,008 petitions had been filed across California since the program’s initial launch in October 2023. From December 1, 2024, (the date CARE was implemented statewide across all 58 counties, with Cohort 2 joining the Cohort 1 counties that launched in 2023) to May 31, 2025, 1,063 petitions were filed. Additionally, between October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024, counties reported 1,358 individuals connected to counties due to CARE outreach who were directly engaged in services and “diverted” from CARE.
Upcoming Training and Open Forum: Paths Out of CARE
On Tuesday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 23, a live training session and open forum for county behavioral health and system partners will take place on supporting individuals through the final stages of the CARE process. Both events will occur virtually and are scheduled from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM both days.
The live training and open forum will explore the multiple pathways out of CARE, including graduation or through a case dismissal, and discuss situations in which an individual may be reappointed to CARE up to one year. It will discuss how to assess readiness for graduation, incorporate Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs), and maintain person-centered, trauma-informed support throughout transitions.
County panelists, representing both urban and rural communities, will discuss strategies for approaching transitions with dignity and promoting recovery beyond CARE. Advance registration is required.