Today the Governor signed Assembly Bill 2265 (AB 2265), which will authorize counties to use Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds to treat people with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
The effects and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic loss, and devastating wildfires, have brought upon a crisis of stress, depression, and anxiety to Californians. “It is essential that our counties have the resources to treat those who need mental health services to live a better quality of life,” said Assemblymember Quirk-Silva. “This bill is a part of the larger dialogue I have been working on at the state and local level to address not only mental health, but homelessness, and the need for wrap-around services. To combat any of these issues, we need to focus on them not as individual crises, but instead recognize they are all interconnected. I thank Governor Newsom for signing this legislation as an important step forward