(a) The State Department of Health Care Services shall be designated as the state agency responsible for development, consistent with the requirements of Section 4060, and implementation of, mental health plans for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
(b) The department shall convene a steering committee for the purpose of providing advice and recommendations on the transition and continuing development of the Medi-Cal mental health managed care systems pursuant to subdivision (a). The committee shall include work groups to advise the department of major issues to be addressed in the managed mental health care plan, as well as system transition and transformation issues pertaining to the delivery of mental health care services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, including services to children provided through the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program.
(c) The committee shall consist of diverse representatives of concerned and involved communities, including, but not limited to, beneficiaries, their families, providers, mental health professionals, substance use disorder treatment professionals, statewide representatives of health care service plans, representatives of the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, public and private organizations, county behavioral health directors, and others as determined by the department. The department has the authority to structure this steering committee process in a manner that is conducive for addressing issues effectively, and for providing a transparent, collaborative, meaningful process to ensure a more diverse and representative approach to problem-solving and dissemination of information.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 511, Sec. 32. (AB 1688) Effective January 1, 2018.)