By Rosemary Lewallenf
Audience members were bursting with questions for the distinguished panel of experts at St. Irenaeus Parish Hall on August 17th. Those in attendance were desperate to learn how the CARE Act, Community Assistance Recovery & Empowerment Act, could help their loved ones suffering from mental illness.
This event was sponsored by NAMI Orange County, which holds regular meetings at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in collaboration with St. Irenaeus Health Ministry. These meetings are led by Deacon Jerry Pyne and his wife, JoAnn. NAMI, which stands for National Alliance on Mental Illness, provides support and services to families and individuals affected by mental illness at no cost.
The panel of speakers at this event was introduced by Jennifer Dagarag, RN, Faith Community Nurse and Co-Director of Health Ministry. The group was led by Annette Mugrditchian, Deputy Director of Behavioral Health, and included Orange County Superior Court Judge Ebrahim Baytieh, Sara Nakada, Senior Assistant Public Defender, and Dr. Stacey Berardino, PhD., Assistant Deputy Director Forensics and Mental Health.
The CARE Act is “a new civil court process” created to facilitate counties and local governments to serve people who have “untreated schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders.” It provides behavioral health and other needed resources and services. The Act protects self-determination and civil liberties by providing legal services and promoting mutual decision making. The CARE Act prevents incarceration and restrictive living conditions.
Eligibility requirements are: adults, age 18 or older who are diagnosed with Schizophrenia or Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders who are currently displaying behaviors and symptoms of severe mental illness; not clinically stabilized in regular voluntary treatment; showing at least one of the following: not likely to survive safely without supervision and condition is deteriorating; needs services and supports to avoid relapse or deterioration that could lead to harming self or others.
A CARE-100 petition can be made by various people to start the CARE process: a person who lives with the respondent; spouse, parent, sibling, adult child, grandparents or someone in the role of a parent, or by the respondent; a first responder; Director of a hospital or representative where the respondent is hospitalized; a licensed behavioral health professional or someone treating the respondent for mental illness; Director of a public or charitable organization that provides behavioral health services or in whose institution respondent resides; County behavioral health director or designee; public guardian or designee; Director of adult protective services or designee; Director of a California Indian health services program, California tribal behavioral health department or designee; judge of a tribal court situated in California, or representative. The petition must be accompanied by a completed Mental Health Declaration (CARE-101) from a licensed behavioral health provider or evidence that the respondent was detained for a minimum of two periods of intensive treatment (WIC 5250 holds), the most recent episode within the last 60 days.
The CARE Agreement Plan provides behavioral health services that include psychological counseling; medication management; housing resources, social services and supports. Stacey Berardino noted that injectable medications have shown an 80% success rate with efficacy and compliance.
CARE is funded by nearly $10 billion per year for behavioral health care, including the Mental Health Services Act and behavioral health realignment funds. Over $14 billion in state funds has been available for the last two years to alleviate homelessness. CARE participants will have priority for “bridge housing funded by the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing program which provides $1.5 billion in funding for housing and housing support services.”
The first counties to implement the CARE program are Orange, Glenn, Riverside, San Diego, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and San Francisco. They will be required to begin utilizing the CARE Act by October 2023. CARE will be available in all counties in California by December 2024.
Although most respondents in CARE will be Medi-Cal beneficiaries, it will also be available for those who have other health insurance. CARE requires that the participant’s health plan reimburses the county for eligible care costs.
The primary goals of the CARE Act are voluntary engagement of the respondent and improvement of mental health for participants. Although it is narrow in scope, it provides vital services for those with severe mental illness who are in dire need. If you have more questions, please call OC Links 24/7, the Behavioral Health Services Line, at 855-625-4657 or access OCNavigator.org.