SOCW620 Behavioral Health Policy for Organizations & Systems
This course explores federal, state, and local health policies that underlie the behavioral health care system and how behavioral care is delivered and accessed in the U.S. and California in particular. The course also explores policy at the organizational level, specifically the impact of multi-level policies on the organizational structures and inter-relationships of public and contracted non-profit service providers. Attention is given to the adequacy of the system for meeting the needs of people who are low-income, uninsured, and underserved, including older adults, children, and youth, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, people of color, immigrants and refugees, and non-English speakers, among others. Discussions will include an overview of the U.S. health care system, its history and recent reforms, the health system’s structures and policies, the state of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare and Medi-Cal, and California’s Mental Health Services Act, and their impact on behavioral health care access for diverse populations. Attention is given to California’s capacity for addressing its population’s prevention, early intervention and treatment services needs given the current state of the continuum of behavioral health services, infrastructure, technology, and professional training. Students will build knowledge and skills for behavioral health policy analysis and advocacy at the organizational, community and macro levels.