The State has announced the third round of funding for
launch-ready behavioral health infrastructure and adult or senior
care facilities. Learn more about the
Request for Application (RFA) process during a webinar
on February 10, 2022 at 10:30
a.m. Register by
clicking here.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is looking for
nonprofits and county-operated providers who offer behavioral
health services to develop and implement a mentored internship
program (MIP) to assist in the treatment and recovery of patients
with behavioral health disorders. DHCS will provide funding for
the nonprofits and county-operated provides for the MIP
development and implementation.
This week, the Newsom Administration released their draft of a
statewide
Extreme Heat Action Plan, aimed at better protecting
communities during high heat events.
California’s ambitious federal waiver package, titled “California
Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal” (CalAIM) was approved by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 29.
All counties are encouraged to register now for an important
CalAIM webinar on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 4:00
p.m. to learn about the intersection between
Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) and the CalAIM
Incentive Payment Program (IPP) funding opportunities.
The Assembly Health and Judiciary Committees held a joint
informational hearing on December 15 to explore issues related to
Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act conservatorships for individuals
who are found to be gravely disabled by a judge.
The nine-hour hearing included comments from CSAC; the County
Behavioral Health Directors Association; the California
Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and
Public Conservators; persons with lived experience related to LPS
conservatorships; lawyers; hospitals; and labor representatives.
Governor Newsom met the October 10 deadline to take action on
measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk.
To keep counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will
be publishing a series of articles to spotlight those laws in
each policy area. This week, the Health and Human Services policy
area provides information on new laws affecting local health,
behavioral health and social services programs and services.
The new laws listed below become effective January 1, 2022 unless
otherwise noted.
October 10 was the deadline for final bill action by Governor
Newsom. Following is an update on major bills of interest or
concern for the Health and Human Services policy area that were
among the 800+ bills awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom.
For additional questions, please contact Farrah McDaid Ting, Justin
Garrett, or Roshena
Duree.
CSAC is awaiting the Governor’s action on a number of bills that
fall under the health and human services policy area and will
keep counties updated on the outcome of these measures. CSAC is
requesting the Governor’s signature on several of these measures.
Please see the list provided below.
The Governor’s office recently
announced the appointment of Marko Mijic as the new
Undersecretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency
(CHHS), and the appointment of Michelle Baass as the Director of
the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
The legislative vehicle to implement a statewide 9-8-8 behavioral
health crisis line,
AB 988 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, may be dead,
but Governor Newsom is keeping California on track to meet the
July 2022 federal deadline for implementation by earmarking $20
million for the project.
The California Department of Health Care Services, the California
Department of Social Services, and the Judicial Council of
California are hosting a webinar on Wednesday, September
15, 11 a.m. -1 p.m. The webinar will be an overview of
the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued
a recommendation for a single booster shot of COVID-19
vaccine six months after completing the initial two-dose
regimen of the Comirnaty or Moderna vaccines. This recommendation
applies only to those who are severely or moderately
immunocompromised and who have received an mRNA vaccine.
Earlier this week, “Comirnaty,” Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19
vaccine received full authorization by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
The Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose regimen has been distributed under
an “emergency use authorization” for the past eight months.
Following an in-depth review of trial data and millions of doses
delivered, Comirnaty was approved, while the Moderna two-dose
regimen and the single-dose Johnson&Johnson/Janssen product
remain under emergency use authorization.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) invites
stakeholders to a webinar on Wednesday, August
25 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. that will educate providers
on the role of managed care plans and providers, provider
expectations, and an overview of the payment process for the
California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative,
specifically for Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and In Lieu
of Services (ILOS).
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) officially
submitted a
revised Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Spending
Plan to draw down an additional $3 billion in federal funding
for populations that are aging, disabled, homeless, and those
with severe behavioral health needs.
The County Medical Services Program (CMSP) Governing Board has
released its Request for Proposals (RFP) for the CMSP Local
Indigent Care Needs (LICN) Grant Program for CMSP counties
that have not already received funding. The RFP and all
associated documents have been posted on the CMSP Governing
Board’s website here.
The California Department of Aging (CDA) is hosting
a webinar to discuss equity in aging specifically for rural
communities, on Wednesday, July 7, from 10 a.m. to
11 p.m. The webinar will feature program leaders in
rural counties who use the distinct qualities of rural
communities to implement culturally competent and responsive
programs for their aging communities. The panelists include:
The United States Supreme Court tossed out the
California v Texas case today, opining that the
plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit on a 7-2 vote.
The justices did not rule on the merits of the case, but rather
on whether the state of Texas, along with two individuals, were
harmed by the continuation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after
Congress eliminated the individual mandate to purchase health
care and associated penalties in 2017.
June 15 marked the end of the Governor’s Blueprint for a
Safer Economy, which assigned each county a tier outlining state
public health restrictions based on local data. While the state
will still collect pandemic data, the new era moves “Beyond the
Blueprint.”
Almost all statewide coronavirus public health restrictions were
lifted this week, including all social distancing requirements,
capacity limitations, and mask requirements for vaccinated
individuals. Unvaccinated individuals must still wear masks in
indoor public settings.
The Department of Health Care Services is hosting a webinar to
discuss the key aspects of Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal managed care, and
updates related to Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and In Lieu of
Services (ILOS) as part of California Advancing and Innovating
Medi-Cal. The webinar taking place on June 29, 2021,
from 2 – 3 p.m. PST, will be the first of
a two-part series.
The Aurrera Health Group in collaboration with the California
Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is hosting a webinar to present the
medical respite landscape in California. The webinar taking place
on June 9, 2021, from 12 – 1:15
p.m. PST, will incorporate the findings from a
respite care assessment completed in 2020.
California Volunteers announces a new RFA for COVID-19 recovery.
This RFA is an Innovation Grant to bring forward strategies for
partnerships between local jurisdictions and non-profits to
support continued volunteer development for disaster
services and other recovery projects in education, health, and
climate. The RFA requires an Intention to
Apply submission by tomorrow, May 21.
This week, CSAC moved to support
SB 395 authored by Senator Anna Caballero. The bill will
place an additional retail tax on e-cigarette and vaping products
to help support safety-net services across early childhood,
public health, and health care systems.
The state is rolling out a multi-million dollar statewide “Let’s
Get to ImmUnity” campaign to address the questions and concerns
with COVID-19 vaccinations within the Black and African American
communities.
In addition to traditional radio, print, social media, TV and
billboard advertisements, the campaign aims to connect with the
Black and African American community by taking a listening-first
approach to understand their unique concerns, partnering with
trusted Black and African American leaders, and using culturally
resonant content.
The state updated its “Safe Schools for All Hub”
with self-reported data from school districts, charter schools,
and private schools throughout the state. The Hub includes
school-level data on reopening status and can be searched for and
viewed not only on a district-wide basis, but also
school-by-school. It also includes enrollment data on the
instructional modes offered, as well as the number of students
enrolled in different instructional modes: full time in-person,
hybrid, and distance learning.
the state added an
addendum to the Activity & Business Tiers Chart to
provide businesses with opportunities to adopt higher capacities
where all guests have been tested or are fully vaccinated. In
addition, physical distancing is not required in sections where
all guests are fully vaccinated.
California ended all location and capacity limits on places of
worship and modified gathering guidance yesterday in response to
recent judicial rulings. Capacity limits on places of worship are
now “strongly recommended,” according to CDPH, and gatherings are
allowed.
Prior to the April 12 guidance change, the state required places
of worship to cap attendance at 25 percent of their normal
maximum capacity in counties within the purple and red tiers of
California’s reopening framework, and at 50 percent in the
orange and yellow tiers.
Californians who have lost family members to COVID-19 since
January 2020 are now eligible for federal financial assistance
for funeral expenses.
The new FEMA assistance is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per
funeral, internment, or cremation, and up to $35,500 per
application. To be eligible for the new funeral assistance, the
COVID-19-related death must have happened in the United States.
The money is available to all residents of the United States,
regardless of citizenship status.
Suddenly it is mid-April and the state’s April 15 deadline for
providers to utilize the MyTurn statewide vaccination reservation
and data system for first-dose appointments is here. This also
coincides with the Governor’s expansion of vaccine eligibility to
all residents aged 16 and older – as well as a 33 percent drop in
the state’s vaccine allocation and the news halting Johnson
and Johnson vaccinations.
Late last week Californians learned that the number of vaccine
doses coming to the state would decline by at least 33 percent.
On the heels of that news, it was announced today that California
will temporarily halt the administration of the Johnson and
Johnson single-dose vaccine due to concerns about blood clots in
a tiny percentage of recipients.
California Volunteers, launched by the Governor’s office in 2020
will utilize the My Turn volunteer platform to connect medical
professionals and the general public who wish to volunteer, with
clinic volunteer directors across the state.
President Biden kicked off Public Health Week with a
proclamation on April 5, 2021. The proclamation looks to
everyone to do their part in regards to the health of the country
and to use this week for actions to improve health. Additionally,
the President made a commitment to investments that rebuild the
economy.
Last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
announced changes to indoor and outdoor gathering guidance that
will go into effect April 15, 2021. These modifications provide
counties additional flexibility within the Blueprint for
gatherings to occur with safety precautions.
Governor Newsom announced his
Beyond the Blueprint plan for reopening California and
lifting nearly all statewide coronavirus restrictions on June 15
– if vaccine supply remains sufficient and hospitalization rates
remain low.
Governor Gavin Newsom
announced sweeping changes to vaccine eligibility based
on expected supply increases. Starting April 1, vaccine
eligibility will expand to all Californians ages 50+. On
April 15, eligibility expands broadly to all Californians ages
16+.
No counties moved to a more restrictive tier this week after the
state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy “Tier Tuesday”
announcement.
Kern, Nevada, and Stanislaus Counties moved from purple to red,
while Lassen, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Trinity, and
Yolo Counties moved from red to orange. This comes on the heels
of a terrific 7-day average case positivity rate of 1.7
percent and 5.5 cases per 100,000 residents statewide.
The California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) issued a
clarification letter to counties considering or that have signed
the state/county vaccine MOU yesterday. The clarification letter
ensures that counties have an equal seat at the table for
recommending providers to the state’s Third-Party Administrator
(TPA) and may continue to distribute vaccine doses to
county-supported sites.
Coronavirus cases in California continue to decrease, with a 2.3
percent 7-day positivity rate and 11 more counties moving to a
less-restrictive tier. This improvement comes together with 13
counties moved to the red tier on Sunday as a result of the
statewide vaccine equity metric being met.
