BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 174
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 174 (Bonta)
As Amended May 24, 2013
Majority vote
HEALTH 13-5 APPROPRIATIONS 12-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Ammiano, Atkins, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Bonilla, Bonta, Chesbro, | |Bradford, |
| |Gomez, | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| |Roger Hernández, Rendon, | |Eggman, Gomez, Hall, |
| |Mitchell, Nazarian, V. | |Ammiano, Pan, Quirk, |
| |Manuel Pérez, Wieckowski | |Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Logue, Maienschein, | | |
| |Nestande, Wagner, Wilk | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to
establish a pilot program in Alameda County, to the extent that
funding is made available, to provide grants to eligible
applicants for activities and services that directly address the
mental health and related needs of students impacted by trauma.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Directs DPH to establish a pilot program in Alameda County, in
up to 10 facilities, within its Public School Health Center
Support Program to fund activities and services to directly
address the mental health and related needs of students who
are impacted by trauma and allows the program to operate for
one year, beginning September 1, 2014, and ending on August
31, 2015.
2)Requires DPH, within 60 days of the completion of the program,
to review and compile the results of reports prepared by
participating facilities, and to submit that information to
the appropriate committees of the Legislature.
3)Authorizes grant funds to be used for the specified purposes,
including, but not limited to,
individual, family, and group counseling; targeted outreach and
education; and, risk screening, triage, and referral to
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campus-based services.
4)Authorizes the individual, family, and group counseling to be
provided by any of the following mental health professionals:
a) A mental health clinician licensed by the Board of
Behavioral Sciences (BBS);
b) A clinical psychologist licensed by the Board of
Psychology (BOP);
c) A psychiatric nurse practitioner licensed by the Board
of Registered Nursing;
d) A psychiatrist licensed by the Medical Board of
California;
e) A school social worker credentialed by the State of
California; and,
f) An unlicensed mental health professional who is
registered by either the BBS or BOP and who is receiving
clinical supervision as prescribed by that entity.
5)Allows grant funds to be used to provide referrals to
evidence-based mental health treatment services in the
community.
6)Directs DPH to implement this bill only to the extent that
funding is made available from public sources, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, as applicable, to the extent
permitted by law, and from other resources, including federal
funding, in-kind assistance, private funding, and foundation
support for the operation and distribution of grants for this
program.
7)Limits administrative costs to DPH for the establishment and
maintenance of this program to only being paid through federal
funding, in-kind assistance, private funding, foundation
support, and any other nonstate funds.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, approximately $100,000 in administrative costs to DPH
to establish and administer the pilot program, which must be
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paid by non-state sources. Actual grant funds are not specified
and are contingent on an appropriation or non-state source of
funding.
COMMENTS : The author states that it is well documented that
appropriate mental health services can have a positive and
lasting impact on short- and long-term outcomes for children and
adolescents impacted by trauma. However, the author notes that
many children and youth in California lack access to the health
and mental health services they need and California's 200 school
health centers (SHCs) address this gap by putting medical,
mental health, and/or dental care on school grounds.
According to the National Assembly on School-Based Care (NASBC),
SHCs provide a broad array of primary care and preventive
services, including comprehensive health assessments;
prescriptions for medications; treatment for acute illness;
asthma treatment; oral health education; and, dental screenings.
Approximately 75% of SHCs also have mental health providers on
staff to offer mental health assessments, crisis intervention,
brief and long-term therapy, and other services. The NASBC
states that Congress recognized the importance of SHCs as a key
link in the nation's health care safety net by providing $50
million a year for four years in one-time funding for
construction, renovation, and equipment for SHCs in the federal
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and more than
350 applicants from around the nation are seeking funding
through the first round of competitive grants created under the
ACA.
According to the California School Health Centers Association
(CSHCA) there are currently 200 SHCs in California. Forty-four
percent of SHCs are in high schools; 31% are in elementary
schools; 13% are in middle schools; and, 12% are "school-linked"
or are mobile medical vans. CSHCA points out that many SHCs are
located in schools serving some of the state's most vulnerable
children and on campuses with SHCs about 70% of students receive
free or reduced price meals. The California Pan-Ethnic Health
Network writes in support that culturally appropriate and
accessible mental health services, particularly for youth of
color, are a growing and unmet need in our communities, which
this bill will begin to address.
Analysis Prepared by : Lara Flynn / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
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