New Learning Collaborative
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT
The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) requires that counties must undergo an inclusive, meaningful, and collaborative Community Program Planning (CPP) Process in partnership with stakeholders to develop their MHSA Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plans and Annual Updates. The CPP is done in partnership with stakeholders to analyze the mental health needs in the community, identify priorities and strategies to meet those mental health needs, how best to improve existing programs as well as develop plans for how to utilize available MHSA funds.
This session will provide information on the CPP, including the regulations and requirements and current issues impacting counties.
Topics will focus on:
- Overview of the MHSA and the CPP Process including what is outlined under statute, regulations, and the recommended timeline for this process.
- Strategies for community engagement including outreach to stakeholders and work with diverse populations.
- Planning for the CPP, including budgeting, community meetings, facilitation, and data collection and analysis.
Meet the Presenters
Theresa Comstock is the Executive Director for the CA Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions (www.calbhbc.org), the President of the CA Coalition for Mental Health, and a Governor-appointed member and past-chair of the State Rehabilitation Council that advises CA’s Department of Rehabilitation. At the local level, she served as a member and past-chair of the Napa County Mental Health Board, and past co-chair of a community organizing group in Dallas, TX.
Livia Davis, MSW, Chief Learning Officer, Vice President of Recovery & Behavioral Health, has more than twenty-five years of leadership and management experience and 14 years of experience as a direct service provider working in homeless services, supportive housing, recovery communities, healthcare and behavioral health, and residential treatment for people experiencing co-occurring disorders. She is responsible for development and ongoing management of learning strategies and organizational capabilities needed to ensure alignment with strategic direction at C4 Innovations.
Livia serves as C4 Innovations project lead for SAMHSA’s State Targeted Response Technical Assistance Consortium, supporting states to address opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. She is also a subject matter expert and former Project Director for SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS). She works with a broad team of subcontractors and consultants to develop learning products, provide training and technical assistance, and facilitate policy academies, symposia, and expert panels. In her six years as Project Director for BRSS TACS, Livia was responsible for implementing a strategic approach to bringing recovery-oriented systems, best practices, and programs to scale nationally. BRSS TACS reached 115,000 people from 2011 to 2017 and developed resources ranging from a medication-assisted treatment toolkit to core competencies for the peer workforce. From 2007-2011, Livia also served as Project Director for SAMHSA’s Services in Supportive Housing Technical Assistance Center, overseeing all aspects of technical assistance to grantees, including needs assessments, site visits, and development of behavioral health and recovery training resources. She has also provided technical assistance on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Livia has first-hand experience working in a large recovery community in Denmark (started by her great-grandfather in 1912), which influenced her passion for recovery housing and communities. She is the co-founder of the Duffy Health Center (Health Care for the Homeless) in Massachusetts. She has presented at numerous conferences on meaningful conversations and managing conflict, interdisciplinary collaboration, and constructive conflict as a foundation for innovation. She has been featured in various national media (CNN, Washington Post, Boston Globe). She is a Certified Life Coach. Livia has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic.
Ashley Stewart, PhD, MSW, LSW, is the Director of Health Equity and Racial Equity Subject Matter Expert at C4 Innovations. She received her PhD from The Ohio State University, College of Social Work and her master’s degree from Columbia University. She is an Assistant Professor at Temple University, College of Public Health, School of Social Work where she trains interdisciplinary students about social justice theories and frameworks and translational skills for anti-oppressive practice.
Ashley’s work centers on addressing institutionalized forms of identity-based oppression. She works in solidarity with mental and behavioral health providers. She supports institutions, corporations, organizations, and leadership teams to identify ways to reduce harm and determine appropriate steps toward sustainable culture change.
Ashley focuses on moving away from performative diversification efforts and shifting institutional and organizational culture to be equity-centered. She provides racial equity training, consultation, and support and lends an understanding and respect for the intricacies inherent in equity-centered work. Her research focuses on institutionalized identity-based oppression and industrial, organizational equity [IOE].
Ashley’s research includes assessing intersections of identity, structural oppression, health and mental health, and policy. In addition to advanced study of consequences and causes of identity-based oppression, Ashley supports organizational, structural, programmatic, and clinical implementation of anti-oppressive practices. She runs a small practice providing counseling and support for corporate leaders to work through their roles in creating anti-oppressive and equitable change.
Angela Brand (she/her) is an experienced professional with a history of work in the public and private sectors of the mental health care industry focused on programming, community engagement, advocacy, training and workforce development to support consumers, family members, youth, and communities. Her passion includes working with consumers, families and youth to support dynamic and meaningful involvement in all aspects and levels of decision making to develop systems that improve access to care through community based and recovery focused programs that are reflective of and responsive to the needs of the diverse populations. She is currently a Project Director for the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS). Prior to joining the team at CARS, she worked with NAMI California, Mental Health America California, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and United Advocates for Children and Families. Ms. Brand holds a degree in Sociology from Arizona State University, with emphasis on how the intersection of race, class, sexuality, and gender impact social justice issues.