In November 2004, California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which provides funding dedicated to the support of community mental health programs. As part of Shasta County’s Rural Mental Health program, Hill Country Community Clinic (Hill Country) provides mental health wellness and recovery services through the Circle of Friends program for individuals suffering from mental illness, and their family members, who reside in the Intermountain area of Shasta County. While Circle of Friends does not provide direct mental health treatment, it does an excellent job at providing social support and assistance in obtaining or accessing mental health treatment and other community resources.
Program participant goals include increasing time spent in meaningful activities, increasing satisfaction and level of involvement in the community, and reducing the adverse consequences of untreated or under-treated serious mental illness. Since the inception of the program, Hill Country has met all of the required objectives. Circle of Friends offers more monthly activities than required by the agreement. Activities are educational and social in nature, and they are rooted in wellness, recovery and resiliency. The participants of Circle of Friends have consistently reported improvement in the following areas: knowledge about where to go for help and services, their ability to advocate for themselves, receipt of services that support independent living, ability to create and sustain personal relationships, and have reported fewer instances of homelessness and arrest. The participants have also reported a greater feeling of safety in their community.
The agreement also includes funding to maintain a Hill Country staff member as a Copeland Center-certified Level Three Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) trainer, who can then conduct trainings in Level One and Level Two WRAP. In order to implement the WRAP program in accordance with an evidence-based model, at least two certified Level Three trainers must co-facilitate each Level One and Level Two group session. Level One is to develop individual client WRAP plans in a group setting, while Level Two training allows participants to become Level One WRAP group facilitators. WRAP trainings are provided to peer support specialists, volunteers, staff, interns and other interested community members.
Circle of Friends’ target population includes Shasta County Intermountain area residents aged 16 years and older with a serious mental illness, as well as their family members. Participants include individuals already engaged in mental health services as well as those who are not actively receiving mental health services. For Fiscal Year 2018-19, Circle of Friends served 255 individuals in the Intermountain area, including 215 consumers and 40 family members. Of these, 28 were under age 25, 183 were between the ages of 26-59, and 44 were older than 60. HHSA also contracts with Northern Valley Catholic Social Service to operate a wellness and recovery center called the Olberg Wellness Center that serves the same target population in the Redding I-5 corridor area.
The agreement authorizes the HHSA Director or HHSA Branch Director to approve changes to the line item budgeted expenses in the Budget, up to a maximum of 15 percent per Fiscal Year (FY), between categories within each budget line item provided the maximum amount of compensation per FY is not exceeded.