HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09142010 - C.130RECOMMENDATION(S):
1. Authorize the Health Services Department, Mental Health Division to participate in the
California Mental Health Services Authority, Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement. The
California Mental Health Services Authority (CMHSA) was approved by the Secretary of
State on July 1, 2009. The CMHSA would allow counties to transfer the allocation for
approved Mental Health Services Act Funds to jointly develop and fund mental health and
education programs on a regional, statewide, or other basis.
2. Authorize the Mental Health Director to sign the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement; and
3. Appoint the Mental Health Director as Contra Costa County’s delegate to the Authority
and the Deputy Director of Mental Health as the alternate.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional cost to the County associated with this agreement. Administration by
the CMHSA Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement will be funded on an annual basis,
through the Mental Health Services Act, Prevention and Early Intervention Statewide
Project Funds. The initial $1,000.00 membership fee will be funded through MHSA PEI
funding which is in our current budget.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY
ADMINISTRATOR
RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD
COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 09/14/2010 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
Contact: Donna
Wigand, 957-5111
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the
minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: September 14, 2010
David J. Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors
By: , Deputy
cc: Barbara Borbon, Tasha Scott, Mary Roy
C.130
To:Board of Supervisors
From:William Walker, M.D., Health Services Director
Date:September 14, 2010
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:California Counties’ Mental Health Services Authority
BACKGROUND:
Approval of this item will allow the Director of the Mental Health Division of the Health
Services Department to enter into the California Mental Health Services Authority, Joint
Powers Agreement.
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5602 allows counties the authority to meet the
mental health service needs of their county by acting jointly:
“The Board of Supervisors of each county, or the boards of supervisors of counties acting
under the joint powers provision of Article 1 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter
5 of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code shall establish a community mental
health service to cover the entire area of the county or counties…”
The voters of the State of California passed the Mental Health Services Act on November
4, 2004; and Section 3 of the Mental Health Services Act states that the purpose and
intent of the MHSA is:
“…to ensure that all funds are expended in the most cost effective manner and services
are provided in accordance with the recommended best practices and are subject to state
and local oversight to ensure accountability to taxpayers and the public…”
A number of California counties have created a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement
creating the California Mental Health Service Authority, allowing each participating
member county the opportunity to collaborate with all other members for the
administration of the statewide Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
Project. Each member county shall have a representative on the Authority’s Board of
Directors, who shall have the authority to attend, participate in and vote on the actions on
the Board of Directors.
The Health Services Department, Mental Health Division is requesting approval to
become a participating member in the Authority in order to maximize the MHSA reserves
for counties for the development of the Statewide Prevention and Early Intervention
projects. Through counties acting jointly, local needs can be identified and connected
with like local needs in potentially different regions of the state. Together, resources can
be maximized for the most efficient use of purchasing products, and developing requests
for proposals and contracts with providers to accomplish agreed upon goals. A
centralized entity would be capable of negotiating cost effective rates with various
subcontractors statewide and greatly reduce the cost of overhead administration. In
addition, counties can increase cost efficiency in administration by centralizing the
compliance and reporting requirements, resulting in cost avoidance. A centralized entity
would also be better suited to house, share and disseminate research, and information and
specific strategies that are the most effective and quality assured.
The development and implementation of training and technical assistance resources,
workforce skill-building, and strategies to increase the capacity of contractors for service
delivery is the first area identified for joint implementation by counties. Using a Joint
Powers Agreement to provide cost effective training and technical assistance is an
appropriate immediate focus, but having such a vehicle in place is critical as the future of
MHSA evolves. A joint Powers Agreement in place creates a centralized county “voice”
before Legislature, the State Department of Mental Health, the Oversight and
Accountability Commission and other parties regarding this vital source of funding for
county public mental health services, and provides the counties with an alternative to the
assignment of the county MHSA funds to the state department and state legislature to
implement regional and statewide MHSA projects.
Approval of this item will not impose any additional County local cost and will allow the
Health Services Department Mental Health Division to enter into a working agreement
with participating member counties of the California Mental Health Services Authority.
Participation in the Authority will not impose any additional County costs as funding for
the statewide PEI projects has been reserved for counties by the states and is separate
from and does not impact the ongoing base funding of the counties for the PEI programs
developed by individual counties. Upon approval of specific mental health programs by
the Authority, counties may then elect to finance the statewide, PEI projects through the
funding allocated by the state for statewide PEI projects. At this time the State has not
released the amount of funding reserved for counties for the implementation of the
Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building statewide project.
ATTACHMENTS
Joint Powers Agreement