The County of Santa Cruz is a dynamically changing and rapidly growing community, with healthcare needs that have continued to change over time. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, many more residents now have access to healthcare, both for primary care but as well as mental health and substance use disorder services. The community has been engaging in a number of strategic planning efforts, in the areas of Substance Use Disorders, Youth Violence Prevention, Homelessness, and Integrated Care in response to the changing needs of the community, and potential opportunities for funding in the future to address these needs.
The Behavioral Health Division of the County Health Services Agency was asked to complete a needs and gaps assessment of the behavioral health system to ensure the current needs of the community were reflected in a plan that could be used to guide future policy and funding decisions in the County. A collective impact approach was utilized as the framework for the planning process in order to ensure this plan supported a well-coordinated approach with existing planning processes to ensure an active partnership and collaboration with the other plans, and the collective impact of a large group of stakeholders working together to positively impact the needs and gaps identified in the mental health strategic plan.
A series of stakeholder meetings were held from September 2014 through March 2015 in order to formulate a set of recommendations based on current needs and gaps within the system. Stakeholder input, which was also inclusive of consumer and family input, was tied to a comprehensive literature review of best practice and promising practices both here in California, as well as nationally.
Part I of the strategic plan is a needs and gaps analysis which forms the foundation for a Roadmap to Collective Wellness.
View the Innovative Project Plan
Overview From December Meetings
Overview From November Meetings
Overview From October Meetings
Overview From September Meetings
Sept. 9, 2014: Breakout Group Notes
Sept. 16, 2014: Breakout Group Notes
For more information about the strategic planning process please contact:
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