About Us
Prevention and Early interventions Programs
Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs are restructuring the mental health system in Stanislaus County to embrace a “help first” paradigm in partnership with the community. The aim is to promote prevention and early intervention. It’s the second-largest component of MHSA and represents 20% of MHSA funding. The programs are designed to prevent mental illness from becoming severe and disabling by recognizing the early signs and symptoms and improving access to services and programs. With the help of diverse groups and neighborhood-based organizations, residents learn how to support each other. This strengthens the capacity of communities to reduce the stigma and discrimination of mental illness and develop and/or strengthen protective factors.
The following illustrates how PEI programs are structured, a description summary and categorized based on PEI regulations:
- Prevention Programs
- Prevention programs provide a set of related activities to reduce risk factors for developing a potentially serious mental illness and to build protective factors. The goal of prevention programs is to provide mental health resources, support, and services. To implement services that promote wellness, foster health, and prevent the suffering that can result from untreated mental illness. Pursue policy and community change that promotes positive cognitive social and emotional development and encourages a state of well-being. Champion efforts to train individuals to be able to recognize and support fellow community members impacted by mental health. Foster communities free of stigma in which persons affected by mental health are able and willing to seek services. This includes the reduction of the applicable negative outcomes as a result of untreated mental illness for individuals and members of groups or populations whose risk of developing a serious mental illness is significantly greater than average and, as applicable, their parents, caregivers, and other family members.
- Early Intervention Programs Early Intervention (EI) programs
- EI programs provide treatment and other services and interventions to address and promote recovery and related functional outcomes for a mental illness early in its emergence. The services can include relapse prevention and outcomes encompass the applicable negative outcomes that may result from untreated mental illness such as suicide, incarcerations, school failure or dropout, unemployment, homelessness, and removal of children from their homes.
The PEI programs in these three categories are overlapping due to being imbedded and addressed by multiple programs In PEI under the Prevention or Early Intervention Category:
- Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness Program(s)
- Stigma Discrimination Reduction Programs
- Suicide Prevention Programs (optional)
- Programs and strategies focused on outreach for increasing recognition of early signs of mental illness utilize Outreach, which is a process of engaging, encouraging, educating, and/or training, and learning from potential responders about ways to recognize and respond effectively to early signs of potentially severe and disabling mental illness.
- Stigma and discrimination reduction programs encompass the direct activities to reduce negative feelings, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, stereotypes and/or discrimination related to being diagnosed with a mental illness, having a mental illness, or to seeking mental health services and to increase acceptance, dignity, inclusion, and equity for individuals with mental illness, and members of their families.
- Suicide prevention programs are those that organize activities to prevent suicide as a result of mental illness. This category of programs does not focus on or have intended outcomes for specific individuals at risk of or with serious mental illness.
- The statewide initiative is a contribution to CalMHSA, the statewide organization that provides support and liaison activities across counties.
All prevention programs target Stanislaus County’s underserved/unserved populations in the following categories:
- All prevention programs target Stanislaus County’s underserved/unserved populations in the following categories:
- Families of individuals in the underserved/unserved, at-risk population;
- Families of individuals in the underserved/unserved, at-risk population;
- Children/youth (ages 15 and younger) and transitional-aged youth (ages 16-25) in the underserved/unserved, at-risk populations, will be provided services at a minimum of thirty percent (30%) services. Individuals 25 years and younger must be provided services according to the priorities outlined in SB 1004 (Wiener);
- All races including the target populations: Latino/Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, African American, Assyrian, Middle Eastern, the refugee community, and Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) individuals.
**It is imperative to note that effective January 1st, newly enacted SB 1004 requires PEI to increase services and investments of the PEI budget to equate 51% of the overall PEI budget targeting individuals (ages 25 and younger) each year. PEI will continue to utilize the MHSA priorities and the community planning process to inform mental health prevention efforts throughout Stanislaus County.
Some Prevention programs target a specific age, cultural, and geographic communities within the underserved/unserved populations.
