By Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media
On Feb. 26, Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), co-chaired an informational hearing on the escalating severity of California’s mental health crisis, and the challenges that prevent health care professionals from adequately addressing it.
The discussion was a bicameral session led by the Assembly Select Committee on California’s Mental Health Crisis and the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health and Addiction.
The hearing, titled “What’s Working and What’s Coming: Opportunities in Addressing California’s Mental Health Crisis” was led by Jackson and Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), the two committee chairs.
One of the issues the hearing focused on was the shortage of mental health professionals in the state, particularly in inland regions.
Jackson said the Legislature will take a fresh approach to evaluating mental health policies. After implementing them, he says, members will continue to assess the rollout and impact of the policy and make corrections when and if necessary.
“Just because we have made some historic decisions when it comes to our mental health system, that doesn’t mean it is the end of the discussion. It means that we still have work to do,” said Jackson in his opening statement.
“Our work will not stop until that population is stabilized and they are receiving quality and timely services that meet their individual needs,” Jackson added.
During the two-hour session that included time for public comment, a number of policy experts and medical practitioners, including a paramedic, spoke about “progress on workforce development” and “community engagement.”
Among other issues, the testimonies touched on shortcomings of existing mental health programs, resources practitioners need to improve patient treatment, shortages in the public health workforce and how the race, ethnicity and languages of the current workforce do not match the increasing diversity of California’s population.
