Remhdco

This is part of the plan development for the Statewide Reducing Disparities Project under one of the original statewide projects funded by the Mental Health Services Act or Proposition 63. REMHDCO was a key informant regarding the statewide MHSA funds for the CA Reducing Disparities Project remaining at the state level in the 2012 budget process. R... EMHDCO was a key informant regarding the Office of Health Equity under the CA Dept. of Public Health (formerly the Office of Multicultural Services under the CA Dept. of Mental Health) retaining administrative control of the California Reducing Disparities Project. REMHDCO has been represented at every meeting of the Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) since November of 2007. REMHDCO members offer public comments on behalf of racial and ethnic communities and have developed relationships with both commissioners and commission staff. REMHDCO was instrumental in getting the DMH to change its plan for the PEI Statewide Project for Reducing Disparities RFP. REMHDCO members advocated for changes in the plan to separate the RFP to target five cultural communities (and two other contracts) instead of all the funds going to one large provider. REMHDCO was heavily involved with the DMH Cultural Brokers group in making recommendations regarding stakeholder improvement. (See PowerPoint of recommendations to both state and local entities.) REMHDCO was critical in getting DMH to clarify the resource document that accompanied the PEI guidelines for the counties. The clarifications made it easier to fund approaches and practices beneficial to underserved racial and ethnic communities. (By not limiting programs to evidence based practices or only provided by agencies already providing mental health services.) Organizational AccomplishmentsRead More