COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
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..... The County of San Diego MHSA believes that the concept of wellness is closely tied to the concept of recovery from mental health conditions, and that many of the treatments and interventions that are used to maintain good health also are useful in negotiating recovery from a chronic illness - including mental health conditions and substance abuse conditions.
..... Since early 2005, the County of San Diego has been conducting an extensive community input process to identify mental health needs and priority populations as a result of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). The County’s Mental Health Services department has been planning for the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component of the MHSA for the past 9 months and has sought community input in a variety of ways including holding community forums, focus groups, key informant interviews and written community input.
..... The MHSA requires that the PEI programs include early intervention and prevention services that are successful in reducing the duration of untreated mental health conditions to assist individuals in preventing the debilitating effects of untreated mental health problems or conditions, so individuals can lead productive lives. Individuals experiencing onset of a mental health conditions or serious psychiatric illness can benefit from early identification and services that will help them get their appropriate treatment. To the extent possible, these services should be integrated with physical health and substance abuse services or coordinated for identification and early intervention.
..... Primary care providers can conduct mental health screening and assessment for all ages and l populations as part of a routine healthcare visit, and, when determined appropriate, provide a warm hand-off to a mental health specialist, who will initiate early interventions or refer to specialty mental health services, along with care management services, until the individual is fully engaged.
..... Primary care providers (PCPs) play a significant role in screening, assessing and treating trauma-exposed individuals, and have a key role in serving all ages of underserved racial, ethnic, and cultural populations. The PCP setting is an ideal location for identifying anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, or other PTSD symptoms, particularly among populations who may be reluctant to approach traditional mental health providers due to fear of stigma and discrimination, or, as is often the case with trauma, guilt or shame.
A summary of details regarding the community input can be found in the PEI section of the San Diego Network of Care website at: www.sandiego.networkofcare.org
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Transforming Mental Health Services Together
Article edited by Dr. Piedad Garcia, Ed.D. LCSW, Assistant Deputy Director,
County of San Diego, Mental Health Services.
This article was written based on information available and latest research on the topic. The content of this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission from MHS.
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