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Behavioral Health

Collaborating to Improve Quality of Life

Behavioral health agencies are essential because they support individuals facing psychological, emotional, or behavioral challenges, and ultimately, foster individual and community well-being. 

Through optimal data systems, behavioral health agencies can better identify needs, as well as enhance service delivery, stay in compliance, maintain funding, and attract additional grant monies. Most importantly, the “right data” ensures that investments made are supporting people in need and enhancing the quality of life. 

For over two decades, our team has provided behavioral health program evaluation, needs assessment, and strategic planning services for public agencies and their funded providers. The mental health and substance use treatment spaces are closely related and EVALCORP’s team includes consulting experts who specialize in navigating the unique challenges and opportunities within the behavioral health field.

Behavioral Health Expertise and Clients

EVALCORP has worked with behavioral health providers on a wide range of assessment, evaluation, data infrastructure, and planning projects. Our work spans diverse settings, from large urban counties to small rural regions.

We have extensive experience evaluating programs supported by federal and state mental health and substance use funding sources. We have partnered with organizations that address a range of issues including prevention and early intervention, behavioral health workforce development, school-based mental health care, as well as intensive outpatient/community-based care. Our consultants follow developments in state funding requirements to help programs maintain compliance and achieve their goals even as policies change. For example, as the funding and policies changed in California with the Behavioral Health Services Act, our staff created a workgroup to help our clients navigate the transition. 

We also assist partners in implementing Community Program Planning Processes (CPPP). We develop Cultural Competence Plans and establish evaluation frameworks to help organizations tailor programs to the cultural context and communication needs of the diverse individuals they serve. The EVALCORP team does so by leveraging a culturally responsive approach to improve representation throughout the strategic planning and evaluation process. As part of this approach, our team is well-versed in trauma-informed data collection methods, which are essential in the behavioral health context. 

Our experts provide ongoing evaluation support for complex projects that span mental health and co-occurring issues. For example, we have worked with agencies that provide services for both mental health and substance use issues through California’s Community Assistance, Recovery & Empowerment (CARE) Act. We have provided evaluation and planning services for organizations that deliver whole person care, which can include housing support, transportation, and employment services alongside traditional mental health care. In short, EVALCORP supports those who provide mental health services across a variety of settings.

Mental & Behavioral Health Clients

A select list of our behavioral health clients include:

  • City of Bakersfield
  • Eddy House
  • Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services
  • Kings County Behavioral Health
  • Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
  • Mental Health America of San Diego County
  • Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, now Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (BHSOAC)
  • Monterey County Behavioral Health
  • Orange County Health Care Agency
  • Pinellas County Human Services Department
  • Riverside County Department of Mental Health
  • San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health
  • San Benito County Behavioral Health
  • Ventura County Behavioral Health
  • Ventura County Office of Education
  • Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency
  • See our full client list

Case Study: MHSA-to-BHSA Transition Support: Data Infrastructure, Strategic Planning, and Compliance for Multiple California Counties

Client: Northern, Southern and Central California Counties

Service Type: Data Utility Assessment & Planning, Strategic Planning, Evaluation, Training

Context: EVALCORP partnered with California County behavioral health departments to provide comprehensive support during each county’s transition from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) framework—a shift that requires assistance including: strategic planning, data utility assessment and planning, staff education, compliance, and reporting. The engagements spanned multiple workstreams: electronic health record (EHR) system assessment, data support, and recommendations for system improvements; BHSA Integrated Plan development; education and knowledge transfer for county staff and providers; Cultural Competence Plan development; and infrastructure planning for reporting and ongoing compliance. 

Approach

EVALCORP conducted systematic exploration of county EHR systems, mapped each BHSA Integrated Plan requirement to available EHR fields, and identified gaps in availability and quality. Our team conducted structured interviews with EHR, operations, and program management staff to capture user experience, data reliability concerns, and workflow challenges, and synthesized the findings into actionable recommendations to address data gaps. Drawing on assessment findings and staff consultation, EVALCORP developed and delivered BHSA-focused training materials grounded in real system data and staff workflows to support counties’ transitions to new reporting and compliance requirements. For the Integrated Plans and Cultural Competence Plans, our team compiled the required reporting elements from EHR data, internal records, and publicly available sources, and summarized findings into report sections developed collaboratively with county staff.

Impacts Achieved

EVALCORP’s approach and deliverables equipped counties with the foundational infrastructure needed to navigate one of the most significant shifts in California behavioral health policy. Comprehensive EHR assessments, complete with data mapping, gap analysis, and actionable recommendations, provided county leadership with clear roadmaps to achieve BHSA compliance. Drafts of the BHSA Integrated Plans and Cultural Competence Plans have positioned these counties to meet state reporting requirements and demonstrate accountability to the communities they serve. Work is ongoing as EVALCORP continues to support California counties navigating the internal and external requirements of Proposition 1. Due to the sweeping impact of these policy changes, we created a BHSA Workgroup to develop and share best practices and we regularly post BHSA Transition Updates to keep behavioral health providers informed. 


Mental & Behavioral Health Report Samples

When working with behavioral health agencies, we create reports that provide actionable, user-friendly data tailored to specific community needs. This allows mental health programs to optimize the care they provide. 

Contact us to learn more about how our services can assist behavioral health organizations.