There are about 6 million children enrolled in California’s Medicaid program. And although every single one of them is eligible for mental health screening and services, only four of every 100 received even one mental health visit last year.
A coalition of youth advocates, health experts and philanthropists are pushing an ambitious goal: To completely revolutionize the largest children’s mental health system in America.
The aim is to use a confluence of changes and opportunities around the year 2020 to move California away from a diagnosis-driven model of mental health, and toward a system focused on early intervention and social justice.
“We see an immediate convergence of opportunities to improve the systems that support the health and well-being of California’s children,” said Reed Connell, one of the organizers of the venture, which is being called “The California Children’s Trust: An Initiative to Achieve Health Equity and Healthy Development.”
“Ultimately, we recognize that our success will depend on our ability to inspire, partner with and mobilize an extraordinary diversity of stakeholders,” said Connell, who is managing partner of Social Change Partners.
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