Currently, about 1 in 6 adults in California experience mental health problems, At the same time, the rate of depression among adolescents is also increasing. Health industry leaders will come together at the 2023 Northern California Reform State Health Policy Conference to discuss the growing need for behavioral health care and what organizations are currently doing to address the ongoing behavioral health crisis. was prohibited from discussing any initiatives.
Karen Larsen, CEO of the Steinberg Institute, LMFT, explains how the institute, which focuses on public policy issues related to mental health and substance use, is working to increase access to behavioral health care. talked about
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“One of the ways the Steinberg Institute has attempted to improve access and quality of care was through legislation several years ago.Senate Bill 855“This is a parity bill,” Larsen said. “Essentially, this bill would force private insurers to cover behavioral health conditions and provide behavioral health services at prices consistent with how they are billed for physical health. ”
With the support of the Steinberg Institute, the bill was introduced to Congress and subsequently signed into law by the governor in 2020. SB 855 requires insurers to cover any mental health or substance use-related services deemed necessary by a physician.
Legislation a few years ago enabled more Californians to receive insurance coverage for these services, but current barriers to care include labor shortages and the creation of ideal crisis response systems. mentioned.
Sandrine Pilar, M.D., chief medical officer for the western region of Carelon Behavioral Health, said that to create an ideal crisis management system, managers should first focus on those at risk and focus on individual-centered health care. It said it needs to develop an approach and have funding to carry out ongoing crisis management. of care. Pilar emphasized the importance of data sharing to ensure all providers have access to the same information at every point in the continuum of care.
“It’s great to have a crisis management system, but we know we need a mechanism to maintain it,” Pilar said. “Ideally, this is what we want: the system should be payer blind and accessible to the entire community, regardless of age, income level or insurance status. We really need a kind of system where all the funding comes from insurance, that is, from public institutions.” The states are integrated and really help support the crisis system. ”
CEO Dr. Jonathan Porteus said Wellspace Health is a federally accredited health center that sees approximately 1,400 patients per day. The facility also has a 988 Crisis Center that serves 16-22 people daily.
“The current system tends to disproportionately disenfranchise people and create self-stigma,” Porteus said, adding that those experiencing distress are said to be helpless. He added that the biggest step for individuals going through a crisis is the active participation of those in crisis. change.
“In the current system, people are being herded into prisons and emergency departments. There are no alternative destinations.”
With the introduction of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Porteus sees a further shift away from law enforcement response and incarceration to reception centers with closer links to continuity of care.
Porteus said Welspace Health is promoting a “first responder” model in the rural areas it serves. First responders return to base after duty and provide the name and phone number of anyone who had a concern while on duty, and a hotline is connected.
“It’s actually pretty easy to call people,” Porteus said. “Then, if you call them every day for 30 days, they will learn the tools and how to ask for help to solve their problems.”
Porteus said people at risk do not need acute inpatient care where they are forced to give up their basic rights, but rather a safe place where they are accepted and treated with respect. said that it is.
