"Kids with untreated mental health problems often can’t manage day-today life. An estimated 7% of California’s kids, around 690,000 children, struggle with severe mental health problems that interfere with daily activities and require treatment, proper care and support. If they go without the treatment they need, children are more likely to be hospitalized, drop out of high school, become involved with the juvenile justice system, or commit suicide."
- Children Now, 2017
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Pia Escudero, Director, School Mental Health & Crisis Counseling Intervention Services, Los Angeles Unified School District
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Toby Ewing, Executive Director, California Mental Health Services Oversight Commission
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Alex Briscoe, Principal, California Children's Trust
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Carrie Bearden, Professor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
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In California, 1 in 13 children suffer from a mental illness that limits participation in daily activities. Economic, gender, racial and ethnic disparities indicate that people of color and low-income families experience serious mental health issues at a greater rate and have a harder time accessing treatment. Many children who deal with severe mental health issues are also in the foster care system which can make seeking treatment difficult for those who have no support and limited financial resources.
Roughly two-thirds of adolescents with mental health needs aren't receiving treatment because of the unique barriers they face. For example, the supply of acute psychiatric beds has declined over the last 15 years, making California less capable of handling severe mental health crises and providing in-patient care in comparison to the rest of the nation. Additionally, the United States is experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals that is projected to get worse in the coming decades.
California passed the Mental Health Services Act Reversion Fund (MHSARF) in September 2018, which reallocates unspent funds (within 3 years of allocation) to counties for prevention, early intervention or innovation programs. According to a recent Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) audit, most of these funds go unspent because of a lack guidance on spending and recovering unspent funds. California's decentralized insurance system also makes it difficult to pay for treatments and for patients to receive care.
Counties and cities can help even more families provided they have the right tools and advice. Given these developments, this symposium will offer delegates an opportunity to assess the successes and challenges in providing mental healthcare and implementing the MHSA. The event will focus on learning lessons, sharing experiences and overcoming challenges at state, regional and local levels with the aim of ensuring that all children and adolescents receive the targeted and compassionate care and treatment they need.
Delegates will:
09:30 |
Registration and Morning Refreshments |
10:15 |
Chair's Welcome and Introduction |
10:30 |
Panel One Improving Policy Measures- Increasing Efficiency, Collaboration and Cost-Effectiveness in Services across the State
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11:30 |
Morning Coffee Break |
11:45 |
Open Floor Discussion and Debate with Panel One |
12:45 |
Networking Lunch |
1:30 |
Panel Two: Improving Services at the Local Level- Changing Culture, Promoting Collaboration and Sharing Experiences
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2:15 |
Afternoon Coffee Break |
2:30 |
Open Floor Discussion and Debate with Panel Two |
3:30 |
Chair's Summary and Closing Comments |
3:40 |
Networking Reception |
4:30 |
Close |
** Please note that the program is subject to change without notice **
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