San Mateo County celebrates 20 years of enhanced mental health services under the Mental Health Services Act
San Mateo County, California – Thanks in large part to the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which has been essential in growing and enhancing mental health and substance use disorder services over the past twenty years, San Mateo County has marked a historic milestone in reforming its behavioral health services.
Approved by California voters in November 2004 as Proposition 63, the MHSA introduced a 1 percent tax on personal incomes exceeding one million dollars. Funding a variety of initiatives meant to help people of all ages struggling with major mental illnesses and/or substance abuse issues and/or their families has been made much easier with this policy. Just in San Mateo County, the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) section has effectively spent $476 million to significantly enhance public mental health services.
The MHSA in the county has concentrated mostly on three key areas: innovative programs, prevention and early intervention, and community services and supports. With a startling 76 percent of the money going into community services and supports, the county is clearly committed to long-term care and assistance for its citizens. While innovation has received 5 percent, driving new approaches to handle mental health issues, 19 percent of the money has been allocated to prevent and early intervention.
Read also: San Mateo Police to issue parking citations in Bay Meadows as two-hour limits return in 2025
With MHSA programs serving 4,275 clients through treatment programs and supporting over 6,555 persons through preventative and early intervention efforts, these activities have directly affected lives over the past five years. The Director of BHRS, Dr. Jei Africa, emphasizes the MHSA’s transforming power and its congruence with the goals of BHRS as well as its positive effects on individuals of the community with mental health and drug use issues.
The ALAS Farmworker Equity Express Bus is one of MHSA’s creatively original local projects financed. Traveling to the Coastside area, notorious for substantial wealth disparity, this mobile resource center offers farmworkers on-site mental health and drug use treatments. Focused on helping Filipina/x/o young people aged 16 to 24, another noteworthy project is the Kapwa Kultural Center in Daly City. The center promotes workforce preparedness, mental health education, and cultural identity.
With 80% of its patrons citing an increase in natural support systems outside of their homes, the first LGBTQ+ community center in the county, the Pride Center in San Mateo, gains from MHSA financing as well. These initiatives are evidence of the county’s approach of applying community-based strategies to advance general wellness, supportive social contacts, and health equity.
Apart from these support programs, the MHSA has been instrumental in increasing possibilities for housing for individuals with severe mental health and drug use disorders. Working with the County Department of Housing, BHRS has built 130 supportive housing units with MHSA money furnished with required amenities.
Read also: San Mateo teenager arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap 3 women in recent weeks
Behavioral health care is delivered in the county in a fundamentally different manner when a diagnostic-oriented medical structure gives way to a recovery and resilience model stressing holistic methods and personal empowerment. This model calls for a range of supports including drop-in centers, peer support, supported employment, and access to alternative care modalities such yoga, art-based healing, and equine therapy.
Nearly two decades after MHSA’s initial approval, in March, voters approved Proposition 1 renaming it the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). Especially for the most vulnerable and unhoused people in San Mateo County, this amendment marks a major change in budget allocation and illustrates the continuous dedication to improve the mental health system.
Looking forward, San Mateo County’s ongoing support and adaptation of its behavioral health services under the newly named BHSA promise to further the mission of delivering compassionate and effective treatment to all residents, so reaffirming the county’s commitment to mental health excellence and innovation.
