Community Planning Process — Creating the Integrated Plan
Last month, all counties received copies of a new guidebook to help drive meaningful engagement in the county behavioral health community stakeholder planning process under the BHSA. The guidebook is available for download, and a free on-demand webinar is also available as a companion tool for the guidebook.
The guidebook represents a fresh approach to community planning. It includes clear timelines, structured processes, decision points and tools to help counties lead the way toward a new model for behavioral health in California.
With sponsorship from the Department of Health Care Services and in collaboration with human-centered design firm IDEO, CalMHSA designed the guidebook and related trainings with feedback and insights from behavioral health directors, community-based organizations and community members.
More than 100 county leaders also gathered in-person for a day of hands-on exploration of the tools, frameworks, and strategies for building an engagement approach and calendar tailored to their local context,
July 14, 2025