Santa Cruz County Mental Health Advisory Board Revisited

R1

The appointed member of the Board of Supervisors should be an advocate for the Mental Health Advisory Board, meeting regularly with the Chair to establish goals, identify problem areas, suggest possible solutions, and should personally attend the monthly meetings. (F1–F3, F6)

R1

The appointed member of the Board of Supervisors should be an advocate for the Mental Health Advisory Board, meeting regularly with the Chair to establish goals, identify problem areas, suggest possible solutions, and should personally attend the monthly meetings. (F1–F3, F6)

R1

The appointed member of the Board of Supervisors should be an advocate for the Mental Health Advisory Board, meeting regularly with the Chair to establish goals, identify problem areas, suggest possible solutions, and should personally attend the monthly meetings. (F1–F3, F6)

R2

The Board of Supervisors should make every effort to fill Mental Health Advisory Board vacancies immediately, provide training for new appointees, and provide annual professional training for all members on how to serve effectively on an advisory board. (F3, F4)

R2

The Board of Supervisors should make every effort to fill Mental Health Advisory Board vacancies immediately, provide training for new appointees, and provide annual professional training for all members on how to serve effectively on an advisory board. (F3, F4)

R3

The chair of the Mental Health Advisory Board should immediately notify the Board of Supervisors and the Clerk of the Board of vacancies. (F4)

R4

HSA should regularly attend the Mental Health Advisory Board meetings and should respond directly to the concerns raised. (F4)

R5

The Mental Health Advisory Board should quickly and clearly communicate to HSA all issues that come before the Board. (F4)

R6

Monthly meetings of the Mental Health Advisory Board should be conducted according to County Code Chapter 2.104. In addition, they should be scheduled well in advance with times and locations made available to the public, conducted according to parliamentary procedure, physically arranged to invite public participation, and recorded in complete and accurate minutes that include discussion, decisions, actions, and public comments. (F5, F7, F8)

R1

The appointed member of the Board of Supervisors should be an advocate for the Mental Health Advisory Board, meeting regularly with the Chair to establish goals, identify problem areas, suggest possible solutions, and should personally attend the monthly meetings. (F1–F3, F6)

R7

The Board of Supervisors should fill all Advisory Board vacancies in a timely manner. (F6) The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) responded to that Grand Jury report, but the Mental Health Advisory Board (MHAB) did not. The California Welfare and Institutions Code § 5604.2[3] and Santa Cruz County Code ​ ​ Title 2, Chapter 2.104[4] provide for the establishment of a local mental health board as ​ ​ the advisory body to the local Mental Health Director and BOS for county mental health programs and policies. The following is a description of the MHAB on the County of Santa Cruz HSA website:[5] ​ SCCMHB [Santa Cruz County Mental Health Advisory Board] provides advice to the governing body (Board of Supervisors) and the local mental health director. They provide oversight and monitoring of the local mental health system as well as advocate for persons with mental illness. A primary responsibility of the Local Mental Health Board (LMHB) is to review and evaluate the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities, and special problems. Printed on each MHAB Meeting Agenda[6] is a mission statement and list of goals: ​ ​ Mission Statement: To obtain the highest quality and most effective mental health services for the county. SCCMHB Goals: 1) Advise the Mental Health Department on Current and ongoing Issues as they relate to the Quality and Effectiveness Of Mental Health Services for the County 2) Develop skills and procedures to maximize the effectiveness of the SCCMHB 3) Increase community awareness on issues related to mental health to Ensure Inclusion and Dissemination of Accurate Information Scope The 2015–2016 Grand Jury inquired into whether the prior jury recommendations concerning the MHAB were implemented, and examined the board’s current functioning and effectiveness. Investigation We began our investigation by reviewing related documents and published literature, including text of the original Proposition 63 passed in 2004[7], and subsequent ​ ​ amendments to the law now known as the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)[8]. ​ ​ The MHSA requires that mental health consumers and community members participate in the local advisory board. In Santa Cruz County the BOS appoints eleven members, one of whom is a County Supervisor. The other ten members are to include current or former clients of mental health services, their relatives, and others with relevant knowledge and experience. Jurors observed four of the monthly public MHAB meetings held between August and December, 2015. During this period at least three of the ten appointed positions were vacant, which combined with member absences prevented a quorum. According to MHAB attendance records, the Supervisor did not attend four of the eleven meetings in 2015, and sent an assistant as a representative. Two of the eleven meetings had no attendance record in the 2014–2015 MHAB biennial report; see

R6

Monthly meetings of the Mental Health Advisory Board should be conducted according to County Code Chapter 2.104. In addition, they should be scheduled well in advance with times and locations made available to the public, conducted according to parliamentary procedure, physically arranged to invite public participation, and recorded in complete and accurate minutes that include discussion, decisions, actions, and public comments. (F5, F7, F8)

R8

The Mental Health Advisory Board should increase efforts to raise community awareness of mental health issues through public announcements, publications, speaking engagements, and other forms of community outreach. (F7)

R6

Monthly meetings of the Mental Health Advisory Board should be conducted according to County Code Chapter 2.104. In addition, they should be scheduled well in advance with times and locations made available to the public, conducted according to parliamentary procedure, physically arranged to invite public participation, and recorded in complete and accurate minutes that include discussion, decisions, actions, and public comments. (F5, F7, F8)