With Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court proposal currently placed on the legislative suspense file, conversations surrounding the bill remain contentious. Senate Bill 1338, introduced by Sens. Tom Umberg (D–Santa Ana) and Susan Talamantes Eggman (D–Stockton), would establish the CARE Court Program to provide treatment, housing, and support services to Californians with complex behavioral … Read more
Gov. Newsom signed the finalized $308 billion FY 22-23 state budget last week, officially allocating funding to increase access to abortion services, establish an Office of Health Care Affordability, expand Medi-Cal coverage to all undocumented Californians, and more. We cover a couple of the budget’s provisions below, along with recent bill movement in the legislature and insight on how … Read more
Ensuring stable housing for unhoused individuals could help improve their access to ongoing health care. According to a housing access advocate, addressing the homelessness crisis in this way would actually reduce a significant financial burden on the health care system. Between 2017 and 2020, the number of people experiencing homelessness in California increased … Read more
Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D–Stockton) has been representing California’s fifth Senate District since 2020. She currently serves as Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, and is a member of the Senate Health Committee. In this Q&A, Eggman discusses her advocacy for modernizing the state’s behavioral health system, especially regarding mental … Read more
The Arizona Legislature has passed its scheduled April 23rd end date and, as is often the case, voted to extend the legislative session further to finish work on bills and the budget. This newsletter includes our recent coverage of some of the health bills lawmakers have been developing in the past few weeks. We’re a … Read more
AHCCCS has awarded a new contract to two collaborative vendors who will provide housing and health care services in a new transitional housing facility for individuals experiencing homelessness and living with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) designation. Copa Health and Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) have been selected to provide services at a new transitional … Read more
At a mental health treatment center in San Jose, Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled CARE Court, a new framework to provide individuals with mental health and substance use disorders the care and services they need to get healthy. The proposal, which must be approved by the Legislature, would require counties to provide comprehensive treatment to the … Read more
In our first 2022 edition of “5 Things We’re Watching,” we feature some of the conversations taking place ahead of the 2022 legislative session. We have a Q&A with Rep. Andrea Salinas, coverage of two committee meetings that took place this week during Legislative Committee Days, and a conversation about policies to support nurses. As … Read more
A proposed pilot program from Rep. Jason Kropf would create regional collaboratives between cities and counties to try and better address homelessness. The proposal, LC 218, would build out a pilot project to provide local coordination between cities and counties to tackle homelessness. These pilot sites would each receive $1 million, over two years, as … Read more
Governor Doug Ducey today [Nov. 4] announced $40.7 million to provide transitional housing for Arizonans, including members of the Native American community and those with special needs. “We’re making targeted investments to ensure Arizonans in need have a hand up, not a hand out,” said Governor Ducey. “These funds will help families and individuals who … Read more