mental health

Steinberg: Addressing Mental Health Can Reduce Prison Overcrowding

Ben Adler — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:19:48 +0000

The top Democrat in the California Senate is calling for more crisis access to mental health services to help reduce the state’s overcrowded prisons.

But as Ben Adler reports from Sacramento, the proposals likely wouldn’t satisfy a federal court order to reduce the state’s prison population.

Brown's Bid to Regain Control of Mental Health Care in California Prisons Rejected

Ben Adler — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:50:13 +0000

A federal judge has rejected California’s push to retake control of prison inmates’ mental health care. As Ben Adler reports from Sacramento, it’s a major setback for Governor Jerry Brown.

Advocates, Lawmakers Urge Attention to Mental Health

Ben Adler — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:51:36 +0000

Mental health advocates and a top California lawmaker are starting a public awareness campaign in the aftermath of last Friday’s school shooting in Connecticut.

Their message: Don’t be afraid of the stigma associated with mental health problems, and get help quickly if you see symptoms in someone you know or love.

Doctor Cameron Carter with the UC Davis Medical Center says most serious mental illnesses first become apparent in adolescents and young adults.

Prop 63 Program Provides Many Paths Towards Mental Wellness

Pauline Bartolone — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:36:34 +0000

Since it was enacted in 2004, California’s Proposition 63 has raised over $8 billion by taxing the wealthy. The money was intended to pay for mental health services and prevention programs. But lawmakers have called for an audit after questions were raised about how money from the “millionaires’ tax” is being spent.

California Lawmakers Call for Audit of Mental Health Services Act

Pauline Bartolone — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 01:18:20 +0000

Some California lawmakers are calling for a closer look into a state fund for county mental health programs.

The Mental Health Services Act has brought in more than $8 billion since it was enacted in 2004. Republican State Assemblyman Dan Logue says he requested an audit of the funds after he heard reports of money spent on activities not clearly connected to mental health.

“If the basics are being sacrificed for programs that have proven and have shown no benefit whatsoever, then there needs to be a reevaluation of where these funds go.”

On Valley Edition: Mental Health; Valley Health Setbacks; heART Beat

Juanita Stevenson — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:54:09 +0000

This week on Valley Edition we talk about access to mental health care in Fresno County. We also hear about a new study that has bad news for Valley residents, as the Valley is actually experiencing setbacks in a number of key health indicators. And we close the program with an interview about an event called heART beat that aims to help support music programs in the schools.

Valley Edition for May 8, 2012:

Fresno County to reopen mental health crisis center

Joe Moore — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:45:22 +0000

Fresno County is moving forward with a plan to reopen a crisis center for mental health patients. The county closed the center in 2009 due to budget cuts. That resulted in patients being sent to area emergency rooms.

Hospitals say they aren’t well equipped to handle those patients. The new crisis stabilization service will be run by a private contractor, Exodus Health, at the county’s former facility on Kings Canyon Road.

The four year contract with Exodus Health to provide the services for Fresno County is for around $16 million.

Budget Cuts Hit County Mental Health Program

Shellie Branco — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:19:58 +0000

As California’s counties face increasing budget pressures, programs that aid those with mental illness have been reduced or eliminated. In Fresno County, patients who used to be treated in the county’s Crisis Intervention Service program are now being sent to area hospital emergency rooms, with serious consequences for patients and the public. Correspondent Shellie Branco reports on the state of mental health services in the Valley.