FAQs

The County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Services (BHS) offers mental health and substance use treatment for people of all ages. Services are provided through County programs and local community partners.

BHS works with justice agencies, hospitals, health centers, and other community providers to strengthen the region’s Continuum of Care. Together, they build networks and coordinate services so people can get the right care at the right time.

The BHSA requires counties to create a three-year Integrated Plan that shows how they will use all available behavioral health funding to improve services and outcomes in their communities.

Through the Integrated Plan, counties will:

• Be informed by local data on behavioral health and substance use needs
• Promote transparency in the allocation and use of funds
• Advance equity by reducing disparities and addressing unmet needs
• Ensure the delivery of timely, culturally responsive, and high-quality care across the behavioral health system

1. County Demographics and Behavioral Health Needs
   • This section will provide an overview of the county’s behavioral health system, including the populations served, services offered, and system infrastructure. It highlights trends, gaps, and areas of need across age groups and risk populations to guide planning and resource allocation.
2. Plan Goals and Objectives
   • This section will highlight the county’s performance on statewide behavioral health goals, using population-level measures to identify disparities and guide planning. Counties review trends in access to care, homelessness, institutionalization, justice involvement, child welfare, untreated conditions, and quality-of-life indicators. Findings inform strategies, programs, and funding decisions to improve outcomes and reduce disparities.
3. Community Planning Process
   • The Community Planning Process (CPP) documents how the county engaged a diverse range of stakeholders including individuals with lived behavioral health experience, community-based organizations, and partner agencies to gather input and inform the development of the Integrated Plan. Engagement strategies included surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, and collaboration with local health jurisdictions and Medi-Cal managed care plans. Feedback from these activities helped identify community strengths, needs, and priorities that shaped the plan.
4. Comment Period and Public Hearing
   • This section will outline the process for public review and input, including the 30-day comment period and public hearing, to ensure transparency and community participation. Input will be documented, summarized, and considered in finalizing the Integrated Plan.
5. Services by Total Funding Source
   • This section will describe the allocation of funds from BHSA, Medi-Cal, and other sources across programs and services.
6. Behavioral Health Services Fund Programs
   • This section will outline how the BHSA Integrated Plan directs funding to support a broad range of behavioral health services and interventions across the county. Funding allocations include Behavioral Health Services and Supports (35%), Full-Service Partnerships (35%), and Housing (30%), with flexibility for counties to adjust funds up to 7% between categories to meet local priorities. These investments ensure compliance with BHSA requirements and advance improved behavioral health outcomes for eligible populations.
7. Workforce Strategy
   • This section will describe how the county ensures a qualified, culturally competent behavioral health workforce. It will include strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining providers, identifying workforce gaps, and leveraging statewide initiatives like BH-CONNECT to strengthen service capacity.
8. Budget and Prudent Reserve
   • Body: This section will show how the county plans to use behavioral health funds, including the prudent reserve, which is a portion of money set aside as a safety net to ensure services continue in case of unexpected costs or emergencies. It will explain how funds are allocated across programs and how any extra money above the reserve limit will support the goals of the Integrated Plan.

The community engagement page regularly provides updates on opportunities to share your insights and feedback on key behavioral health topics. Input from engagement activities will help inform specialty mental health and substance use disorder treatment services, priorities, and future investments, and ensure local programming reflects the needs and perspectives of San Diego County communities. Recommendations will also guide development of the plan. Check out this page to find information on engagement opportunities happening near you!

Furthermore, once developed, the draft Integrated Plan will be available for public review and feedback during a 30-day comment period, which begins on March 2nd, 2026 and ends on April 9th, 2026.

The State of California is improving behavioral health through the Behavioral Health Transformation. Behavioral Health Transformation is California’s way of bringing all its major mental health and substance use programs together to update and improve the system. This effort aims to:

• Improve accountability and transparency
• Expand the capacity of behavioral health care facilities
• Implement Prop 1, including the Behavioral Health Services Act and Behavioral Health Bond Act

This effort builds on other major behavioral health initiatives, including:

• California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM)
• Behavioral Health Community-Based Organization Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT)
• Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)
• Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis
• 988 Expansion
• Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP)

For more information, visit the Department of Health Care Services webpage. 

Proposition 1 was approved by California voters in March 2024. It provides funding to expand mental health treatment, substance use services, and supportive housing.

It combines two key parts:

• The Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), which improves access to mental health and substance use services.
• The Behavioral Health Bond Act, which pays for new and expanded treatment and housing facilities across California.

For more details on Proposition 1, visit the Department of Health Care Services webpage.

In March 2024, California voters passed Proposition 1, a two-bill package, to modernize the state’s behavioral health care system. One component of this is the BHSA, which updates the 2004 Mental Health Services Act. BHSA updates funding to support those with the greatest needs, expands the behavioral health workforce to better serve California’s diverse communities, and prioritizes outcomes, accountability, and equity.

BHSA requires counties to look at their whole behavioral health system of care through a formal Community Planning Process (CPP). The CPP supports the County’s goal to involve communities in meaningful conversations and decision-making about local behavioral health services to ensure programs reflect their unique needs and feedback.

BHSA’s CPP process included enhanced community engagement efforts intended to bring together a broad range of perspectives to provide input on mental health and substance use services, policies, program planning, implementation, budget allocation, and others.

Counties are required to engage with specific stakeholder groups as part of the CPP. Read the Stakeholder Involvement section in the BHSA County Policy Manual for more details

The County has...

• Facilitated outreach, listening sessions, focus groups, and other opportunities at community events and convenings for stakeholders to provide input.
• Documented key learnings and stakeholder recommendations to support community priorities and system needs.
• Provided BHSA education through informational handouts and presentations at public meetings.

California is updating its mental health and substance use system to make care more coordinated, effective, and equitable. This work includes:

• Expanding treatment services and facilities
• Improving access to care for all communities
• Using data to identify gaps and reduce disparities

Coordinating programs across counties, hospitals, and community providers

The goal is to make care more accessible and effective, improving overall health for the community.