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Approve a three-year Mental Health Student Services Act grant agreement for $450,000 from the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to identify sources of funding to sustain the delivery of mental health services on school campuses for the period of December 10, 2024 through December 31, 2027; and Authorize the County Administrator to execute the grant agreement and related documents necessary to accept the award
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Published Notice Required? Yes _____ No __X__
Public Hearing Required? Yes _____ No __X__
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Health and Social Services recommends that the Board of Supervisors approve a three-year Mental Health Student Services Act grant for $450,000 from the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to identify sources of funding to sustain the delivery of mental health services on school campuses for the period of December 10, 2024 through December 31, 2027; and Authorize the County Administrator to execute the grant agreement and related documents necessary to accept the award.
SUMMARY:
In 2019, Solano County Behavioral Health (SCBH) received a Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Round 3, five-year grant, from the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) to support the development of school-based mobile crisis services for students on campuses and contracted with the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) to implement MHSSA Round 3 grant objectives. Solano County Health and Social Services, Behavioral Health Division collaborated with SCOE to apply for grant funding under MHSSA Round 4 and was awarded $450,000 under the sustainability category for services designed to support prior rounds of funding.
The MHSSA Round 4 grant provides funding to identify other sources of funding that can be used to sustain the delivery of mental health services, including school-based mobile crisis services, to students on campuses after MHSSA Round 3 funding ends in May 2025. The MHSSA Round 4 grant objectives include the retention of a coordinator position whose work will be to facilitate financial sustainability for MHSSA services and continuous quality improvement processes to find long-term sustainability of school-county partnerships.
H&SS will be returning to the Board at a later date to approve a new contract with SCOE to implement MHSSA Round 4 grant objectives, which will include retaining a quality improvement and sustainability coordinator position in accordance with MHSSA Round 4 objectives.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for this grant award is not included in the FY2024/25 Working Budget. The Department will be returning to the Board at a later date to approve an Appropriation Transfer Request to recognize this unanticipated grant funding and approve a contract with SCOE to implement the grant objectives. Approval of the MHSSA grant agreement does not impact the County General Fund. The costs of preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2024/25 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The MHSOAC, governing body for the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), recognized that the effects of mental health crises are evident on school campuses and that reaching pupils in the school setting is practical as a first point of contact for cognitive, behavioral, and substance use disorder services for youth. The MHSOAC is administering funds provided through California Senate Bill 75, which includes establishing mental health services partnerships between county behavioral health departments and educational entities to increase access to mental health services in locations that are easily accessible to students and their families.
This new three-year grant from MHSOAC is part of the MHSSA Round 4 funding. Solano County is one of the twenty counties awarded under the Round 4 ‘sustainability’ category in California. The sustainability category grant aims to identify various funding sources that can be used to sustain the delivery of school-based mental health services after the MHSSA grant funding is no longer available. Through this grant, SCOE will be the lead agency and retain a Quality Improvement and Sustainability (QIS) Coordinator to provide the services outlined in the grant agreement. Services and deliverables under this grant include developing and implementing a sustainability plan that will identify potential sources of funds to sustain the MHSSA services after the grant ends, identify barriers, provide data reports to MHSSA using the MHSSA data reporting tool, and attend grant meetings and technical assistance hosted by MHSOAC.
MHSSA Round 3 funding has provided support to the school-based mobile crisis that responds to students during school hours who are presenting with suicidal thoughts, such as expressing harm to self or others, and creates a safety plan for the students, families, and school administrators to decrease the likelihood of hospitalization. Support is provided to students and their families in connecting with psychiatric or healthcare providers to continue care and accessing the crisis stabilization unit or emergency room as necessary. School-based services are expected to be reduced or eliminated if other funding cannot be used beyond the MHSSA Round 3 grant.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to accept the MHSSA Round 4 sustainability grant award. This alternative is not recommended as the grant provides funding to identify the sustainability of school-based mental health programs after the MHSSA Round 3 grant ends.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Department collaborated with SCOE to develop and submit the grant application. Additionally, through the MHSA community program planning process, local educational agencies and stakeholders consistently identified the need for increased mental health services in school settings.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION