Summary
The Innovation Technology Suite (branded as Help@Hand in 2019) was a five-year statewide demonstration funded by Prop 63 (now known as the Mental Health Services Act) between 2017–2024 and had a total budget of approximately $101 million. It brought a set (or “suite”) of mental health technologies into the public mental health system and intended to understand how mental health technologies fit within the public mental health system of care. In addition, Help@Hand led innovation efforts by integrating peers throughout the program.
The primary purpose of Help@Hand, a demonstration project that brought a set of mental health technologies into the public mental health system, was to increase access to mental health care and support, promote early detection of mental health symptoms, and predict the onset of mental illness. Each county/city who participated in the project sought to develop a complementary support system to bridge care, offer timely support, remove barriers, and to create new avenues of care for communities not connected to conventional county services and/or to build out support for those who are connected.
In Year 5, Los Angeles County, Marin County, Mono County, Monterey County, Orange County, Tehama County, and Tri-City concluded their involvement in Help@Hand. The City of Berkeley, Riverside County, San Francisco County, and Santa Barbara County will finish their participation in 2024. Throughout 2023, all counties/cities planned the end of their projects, examined how to sustain activities, and evaluated project achievements and challenges to inform future endeavors.
This study cites 2019–2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data.
