The California Mental Health Directors Association (CMHDA) is a non profit advocacy association representing the mental health directors from each of California's 58 counties, as well as two cities (Berkeley and Tri-City). The Association's mission is to provide leadership, advocacy, expertise and support to California’s county and city mental health programs (and their system partners) that will assist them in serving persons with serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance. Our goal is to assist in building a public mental health system that ensures the accessibility of quality, cost-effective mental health care that is consumer-and family-driven, resiliency-based and culturally competent.

• CMHDA 2008-2010 Strategic Goals Flowchart (PDF 25 KB)
• CMHDA 2008-2010 Strategic Plan Outline (PDF 265 KB)

CMHDA Policy Issue Documents

• AB 3632 Policy Issues - November 2009 (PDF 37 KB)
• Criminal Justice Policy Issues - November 2009 (PDF 29 KB)
• Medi-Cal Managed Care Policy Issues - November 2009 (PDF 48 KB)
• MHSA Policy Issues - November 2009 (PDF 40 KB)

The mission of the California Mental Health Directors Association is to provide leadership, advocacy, expertise and support to California's county and city mental health programs (and their system partners) that will assist them in promoting the recovery of persons with serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance. Our goal is to assist in building a public mental health system that ensures the accessibility of quality, cost-effective mental health care.  CMHDA will advocate for equity and full inclusion of vulnerable populations and secure social justice as measured by access to necessary quality services that promote mental health, wellness, resiliency and recovery in our communities.

• Consumers, families/caregivers, and advocates are central to the design, operation, and governance of the public mental health system.
• Services will be consumer-guided, culturally competent, recovery-oriented, and planned and delivered with the participation of families/caregivers in age-appropriate systems of care.
• Services will be clinically of high quality, developed according to evidence and best practices, and organized to assist consumers to achieve satisfactory outcomes, including goals addressing physical health, housing, education, employment and other activities.
• Services will be provided with the engagement of the client, and with dignity, respect, and choice of services, regardless of the setting in which services are provided or the legal status of the consumer.
• Services will measure and report on consumer satisfaction and system achievement of outcomes.
• Service systems will promote public understanding and awareness of mental illness, the damage caused by stigma and discrimination, and the public benefit of quality care.
• Healthy families require healthy communities; healthy communities are built through the partnership and collaboration of the public and system stakeholders.
• Community collaboration assures that a safety net is in place and no one falls through the cracks of the system of care.

CMHDA will lead through ongoing policy issue identification, analysis and advocacy, and collaboration with other state and federal associations and agencies, including the state Department of Mental Health. We will support Mental Health Directors in their work on behalf of multiple constituencies: citizens, consumers, families, elected officials, mental health boards and commissions, advocates, payors, the California Mental Health Planning Council, the Mental Health Services Act Oversight and Accountability Commission, other service system partners, and the county staff and/or community-based organizations that provide services.

CMHDA will direct its advocacy efforts toward enhancing the resources available to persons with mental illnesses, in systems of care that meet our values. The Association will promote public understanding and awareness of mental illness, the damage caused by stigma, and the public benefit of quality care.

CMHDA will support the delivery of quality, recovery-oriented mental health services through adoption and promotion of best practices and benchmarking of quality measures. We will provide information, guidance, and technical assistance in the implementation of best practices, and strengthen the ability of members to participate in complex health system environments. We will collaborate with the California Institute for Mental Health and other relevant partners in the development of best practices, new delivery models, research, analysis, and options development for public policy, and program operation.