I. Origins of the California MHSA Multicultural Coalition (CMMC)
The California MHSA Multicultural Coalition – the CMMC – was outlined in RFP #1 of the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP). In 2010, the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition (REMHDCO) was awarded the contract by the California Department of Mental Health for RFP#1. Please see the Fact Sheet on the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) for additional information.
The CMMC is a new structure to bring forward diverse multicultural perspectives that have not been adequately represented in the mental health system or in previous efforts to obtain consumer and family member input. The CMMC is pivotal in providing critical insights and assessments of systems, e.g., policies, procedures, and service plans, in moving toward a more culturally and linguistically competent system.
The first meeting of the CMMC took place on March 28, 2011, in Sacramento.
II. Purpose of the CMMC
The CMMC’s primary goal is to work toward the integration of cultural and linguistic competence into the public mental health system. Another major objective of the CMMC is to coordinate and support the work of the five Strategic Planning Workgroups (SPWs) of the CRDP.
The CMMC and the SPW’s will work together with the Facilitator/Writer to produce a comprehensive statewide strategic plan to identify new approaches toward the reduction of disparities. This strategic plan will be the basis for the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Statewide Project on Reducing Disparities, one of five PEI Statewide Projects under the Mental Health Services Act.
The CMMC will also be responsible for an Emerging Leaders Mentorship program and will be assessing the implementation of the MHSA particularly in regards to cultural competence and reducing disparities.
