Statewide Behavioral Health Goals

Alameda County is required to address six mandatory behavioral health goals, each county had to choose a seventh behavioral health goal, Alameda County selected overdoses. The Statewide Behavioral Health Goals will be used for transparency and planning and will focus on the performance of county behavioral health and Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans. All performance measures will be stratified by key demographics, such as age group and race/ethnicity, and county behavioral health and Medi-Cal MCPs will be expected to address disparities in those measures in their Integrated Plans and Population Health Management strategy deliverables. Information on goal metrics will be available at Alameda County Profile – DHCS. This is an online tool from the State of California that shows behavioral health services and related data for every California county. This website supports transparency, accountability, and a clearer understanding of local behavioral health systems.

Below are the seven behavioral health goals:

Access to Care (Improve): Access to care is defined as the timely and appropriate use of health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes, encompassing all modalities of care. Improving access to care for Californians is essential to improving overall health outcomes.

Homelessness (Reduce): Addressing the increase in statewide homelessness is crucial to ensuring that unhoused individuals living with significant behavioral health needs have regular access to behavioral health treatment and have safe and stable housing where they can recover.

Justice Involvement (Reduce): This goal focuses on decreasing the number of adults and youth with behavioral health needs who become involved in the justice system. More than half of incarcerated individuals live with a behavioral health condition but often receive little or no treatment. After release, they face increased risks of overdose, suicide, and poor health outcomes. Building coordinated systems of care can prevent justice involvement and support better outcomes for those returning to the community.

Institutionalization (Reduce): Care provided in inpatient and residential (i.e., institutional) settings can be clinically appropriate and is part of the care continuum. The goal is to ensure institutionalization is only used, when necessary, for the appropriate duration, and never longer than clinically indicated.

Untreated Behavioral Health Conditions (Reduce): Untreated behavioral health conditions refer to behavioral health needs that have not been diagnosed or addressed through timely and appropriate care. Living with untreated behavioral health conditions can lead to worsening symptoms, diminished quality of life, unemployment, reduced educational attainment, homelessness, and higher risk of severe outcomes such as suicide or self-harm.

Overdoses (Reduce): Occurs when a toxic amount of a drug—or combination of drugs, including prescription medications, illegal substances, or alcohol—overwhelms the body’s ability to function.

Removal of Children from Home (Reduce): Refers to when children with a child welfare status are removed due to abuse and/or neglect. Providing early intervention and intensive behavioral health services to children, parents and other members of the family unit living with a behavioral health condition can help prevent family disruption and improve child welfare outcomes. With appropriate supports, children are less likely to be exposed to early childhood trauma and placed in foster care.

The list below shows the measures for each behavioral health goal and the data source:

1-3. Access to Care, Reducing Untreated Behavioral Health Conditions, and Improving Care Experience.

1. Access for people with significant Mental Health needs (DHCS)
2. Co-Occurring Mental Health and SUD Access (DHCS)
3. Initiation and engagement in SUD treatment (IET-I, IET-E) (NCQA)
4. Cultural responsiveness, perception of care quality (UCLA, SAMHSA, CAHPS)
5. Depression screening and follow-up (NCQA)
6. Emergency Department follow-up for SUD and Mental Health (NCQA)
7. Evidence based practices (DHCS)

4. Improving Prevention & Treatment of Co-Occurring Physical Health Conditions

1. Ambulatory Services for Adults with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
2. Well Child Visits for Children and Youth with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
3. Dental Visits for People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)

5. Reduce Homelessness

1. Homelessness Among People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
2. Well Child Visits for Children and Youth with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
3. Dental Visits for People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)

6. Reduce Institutionalization

1. Institutional Stays for People with BH Needs (DHCS)
2. Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis (DHCS)
3. Support for Transitions from Institutional BH Care (DHCS)
4. Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness (FUH) (NCQA)

7. Reduce Justice Involvement

1. Justice-Involvement Among People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
2. Repeat Justice-Involvement Among People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
3. Release BH Services for Justice-Involved People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
4. Continuation of MAT for Justice-Involved Reentry Enrollees (DHCS)

8. Reduce Overdoses

1. Deaths by Drug Overdose (DHCS)
2. Repeat ED Visit or Hospitalization for Drug Overdose (DHCS)
3. Contingency Management (DHCS)
4. Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder (POD)(DHCS)
5. Follow-Up After High-Intensity Care for Substance Use Disorder (FUI)

9. Reduce Removal of Children from Home

1. Children and Youth in Foster Care (DHCS)
2. BH Services for Children and Youth in Foster Care (DHCS)
3. BH Services for Parents, Guardians, and Pregnant People with Significant BH Needs (DHCS)
4. High Fidelity Wraparound, Enhanced Care Management, or Intensive Care Coordination for Children and Youth in Foster Care (DHCS)

10. Reduce Suicides

1. Deaths by Suicide (DHCS)
2. Repeat ED Visit or Hospitalization for Drug Overdose (DHCS)
3. Follow-Up MH Services After Crisis Services (DHCS)