DHCS released
awards
for $3.3 billion in Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure
Program (BHCIP) Round 1: Launch Ready funds, creating 5,077 new
residential/inpatient treatment beds for mental health and substance use
disorders and 21,882 new outpatient facilities. These competitive grants
will transform behavioral health services for Californians by expanding
service capacity and addressing gaps in the behavioral health continuum of
care.
Please visit the BHCIP website to learn more.
Overview
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) was authorized through
2021 legislation to establish the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program
(BHCIP) with $2.2 billion to construct, acquire, and rehabilitate real estate
assets or to invest in needed mobile crisis infrastructure to expand the
community continuum of behavioral health treatment resources. DHCS is
releasing BHCIP grant funds through six rounds that target various gaps in the
state’s behavioral health facility infrastructure. For more information on
BHCIP grant funding and awards, please visit the
BHCIP website.
Background
The Department aims to reduce homelessness, incarceration, unnecessary
hospitalizations, and inpatient days and improve outcomes for people with
behavioral health conditions by expanding access to community-based
treatment. The Department proposes to invest in the expansion of beds,
units, or rooms by building new behavioral health continuum infrastructure
and expanding capacity. These resources would expand the continuum of
services by increasing capacity for short-term crisis stabilization, acute
and sub-acute care, crisis residential, community-based mental health
residential treatment, substance use disorder residential treatment, peer
respite, mobile crisis, community and outpatient behavioral health services,
and other clinically enriched longer-term treatment and rehabilitation
opportunities for individuals with behavioral health disorders, in the least
restrictive and least costly setting.
Proposition 1
In March 2024, California voters approved Proposition 1, a comprehensive
initiative aimed at transforming the state's behavioral health system. A
central component of this measure is the infusion of up to $4.4 billion into
BHCIP through the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024. This
substantial investment positions BHCIP as a primary vehicle for expanding
the state's behavioral health infrastructure, including the development
of treatment facilities. DHCS is administering these funds through
competitive grants, with a focus on projects that address critical gaps in
care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
