April 15, 2024 - Stakeholder Update
Top News
Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024 - BHCIP Round 7 and 8: Unmet Needs (Public Listening Session)
On April 19, from 2-3 p.m., DHCS will host a Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024 Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 7 and Round 8: Unmet Needs
public listening session (advance registration required). This session is open to the public, including city, county, tribal entities, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. This is the first of monthly
Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT) public listening sessions being held through October 2024. For updates on future sessions, and recordings of the sessions, check the
BHT webpage often.
In March, California voters passed Proposition 1, a two-bill package including the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) (
Senate Bill 326, Chapter 790, Statutes of 2023) and the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act (BHIBA) (
Assembly Bill 531, Chapter 789, Statutes of 2023). The BHIBA is a $6.38 billion general obligation bond to develop an array of behavioral health treatment, residential care settings, and supportive housing to help provide appropriate care facilities for Californians experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
DHCS is developing plans to distribute $4.3 billion in BHIBA funds for BHCIP competitive grants. During this public listening session, input can be provided directly to DHCS on BHCIP bond funding. Visit the
BHCIP website for information about current BHCIP rounds. If you have questions about BHT and/or the public listening sessions, or if you would like to be added to DHCS' Behavioral Health Stakeholder Updates and Information Notices eblast listserv, please email
BHTinfo@DHCS.ca.gov.
Program Updates
Family PACT Provider Enrollment and Responsibilities Policies Updated
On April 16, DHCS will publish updated policy for the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (PACT) Program. The update will add physician assistants (PAs) to the clinicians eligible to be site certifiers and make updates to the provider training requirements. PAs will now be eligible to be designated as the site certifier responsible for overseeing the family planning services rendered at a service location. Site certifiers must complete all required trainings approved by DHCS' Office of Family Planning to certify the service location. The site certifier is also responsible for ensuring that all practitioners and personnel providing services on behalf of the Family PACT program complete all required trainings in their respective training tracks every two years.
Additional information about provider enrollment and responsibilities is available on the
Family PACT Provider Enrollment webpage and Family PACT Policies, Procedures, and Billing Instructions Manual,
Provider Enrollment and Responsibilities section.
National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16)
National Healthcare Decisions Day is a great opportunity to promote advance care planning among Medi-Cal members. Advance care planning allows individuals to document their health care preferences, ensuring their care aligns with their values and goals, particularly during a serious illness. Advance care planning benefits Medi-Cal members by giving them peace of mind, reducing stress, improving care decisions, and respecting autonomy.
Stakeholders can help empower Medi-Cal members by:
- Sharing educational resources. Use available resources to promote awareness of the importance of advance care planning. Resources are available in many formats and languages.
- Encouraging conversations. Facilitate discussions about advance care planning within your networks.
- Providing resources. Help connect members with the tools needed to complete advance directives.
Visit the
Coalition for Compassionate Care of California website for more information and resources, and help members get started with this free
Conversation Guide.
Join Our Team
DHCS is hiring for communications, human resources, auditing, health policy, information technology, and other teams. For more information, please visit the
CalCareers website.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
Uncompensated Care and Practical Support Grant Programs
Essential Access Health released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the next round of funding for the Uncompensated Care and Practical Support Grant Programs. Applications for both programs are due on May 17.
Apply for funding to support access to abortion and contraceptive services across California.
The RFP and additional information regarding the Uncompensated Care Grant Program, including a copy of the application and frequently asked questions from the 2023 RFP, are posted on the
Essential Access Health webpage. On April 17 at 11 a.m., an optional
Uncompensated Care Applicant Webinar will be held (advance registration required). On April 18 at 11 a.m., an optional
Practical Support Applicant Webinar will be held (advance registration required).
CalAIM Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Technical Assistance (TA) Marketplace
On April 25, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., DHCS will host a virtual California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM)
PATH TA Marketplace Vendor Fair, where vendors pitch their organization and services to potential TA Recipients and encourage utilization of the TA Marketplace. Approved TA Recipients and organizations currently contracted with or planning to contract with a Medi-Cal managed care plan (MCP) or other eligible entity to provide Enhanced Care Management (ECM)/Community Supports are encouraged to attend. The PATH TA Marketplace is a one-stop-shop website where entities can access free TA services from curated and approved vendors. Vendor services help eligible ECM/Community Supports providers build their data capacity, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, train existing and new staff, implement linguistically responsive services, and more.
The
April 25 Vendor Fair features vendors providing services in Domain 5: Promoting Health Equity and Domain 6: Supporting Cross-Sector Partnerships. Domain 5 includes TA vendors with expertise to help TA recipients advance health equity through their implementation of ECM/Community Supports and in their work with Medi-Cal members. Domain 6 includes TA vendors with the expertise to help TA recipients successfully engage in cross-sector partnerships, including partnerships between Medi-Cal MCPs and counties.
Additionally, on April 1, DHCS opened the
PATH TA Marketplace Round 4 vendor application. Organizations interested in applying to qualify as a TA vendor can apply on the PATH TA Marketplace webpage. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. PDT on April 30. Approved vendors will receive PATH-funded reimbursements for TA services they provide in the TA Marketplace. For more information, please review the
guidance document.
CalAIM Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled (ICF/DD) Carve-In Office Hours
On April 25, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., DHCS will host an
office hours session (advance registration required) as part of its educational webinar series on the CalAIM ICF/DD carve-in. The office hours session will provide a dedicated forum for DHCS and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to engage with ICF/DD Homes, Regional Centers, and Medi-Cal MCP representatives to address questions related to ICF/DD carve-in policy requirements and implementation of the transition to managed care that took effect on January 1, 2024.
Office hours participants are encouraged to submit questions to
LTCtransition@dhcs.ca.gov in advance of the meeting. Additional details about upcoming webinars are available on the
CalAIM ICF/DD LTC Carve-In webpage.
In Case You Missed It
DHCS Launched Health Equity Roadmap Initiative
DHCS publicly launched the
Health Equity Roadmap initiative, an ongoing effort to inform and advance DHCS' work to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity for Medi-Cal members. The Health Equity Roadmap initiative represents a phased process co-designed with Medi-Cal members to create a more equitable Medi-Cal system that puts member needs first. The first step in this process was a statewide listening tour, during which DHCS leaders and community partners listened to Medi-Cal members' experiences with Medi-Cal. The information gathered from these sessions will inform the development of the DHCS Health Equity Roadmap that will guide the development and implementation of future DHCS programs to advance health equity.
For inquiries related to the Health Equity Roadmap initiative, or for ideas on how DHCS can make Medi-Cal more equitable, please email
HealthEquityRoadmap@dhcs.ca.gov.
Elevate Youth California (EYC)
DHCS issued a
news release announcing it is investing $51.8 million in EYC grants to 75 community-based and tribal organizations serving youth to expand substance use prevention programs -- helping young Californians across the state remain healthy by knowing the dangers of and how to prevent substance use disorder. EYC is a statewide program dedicated to preventing California's growing number of youth with substance use disorder. Organizations will receive funding for the three-year grant period through December 31, 2026, to implement the EYC program in historically underserved low-income communities.
