Mental Health Children’s Crisis Services – Oppose Proposed Funding Reduction

Budget Priority

CWDA opposes the proposed $17 million State General Fund reduction in the Governor’s budget for the development of a continuum of mental health crisis services for children and youth.

The 2016-17 State Budget appropriated one-time funding totaling $30 million for crisis mental health services for children to help bring California into compliance with Federal Medicaid requirements for timely and equal access to medically-necessary services and codified the program elements in trailer bill, SB 833 (Statutes of 2016). The Governor’s proposed budget would leave just $11 million of unspent Mental Health Services Act funding to establish these life-saving programs.