CDPH Announces Intent to Award California Reducing Disparities Project Statewide Evaluator and Technical Assistance Provider Contracts
Date: 2/22/2016
Number: 16-008
Contact: Orville Thomas, (916) 440-7259
SACRAMENTO - The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced the intent to award the Statewide Evaluator and the Technical Assistance Providers as part of Phase II of the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP). The CRDP aims to reduce mental health disparities across five target populations that include African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, Native Americans and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities.
āThe announcement of these awards is a significant step toward achieving mental health equity in California,ā said California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. āProviders that have been pioneering culturally and linguistically competent services for communities facing mental health inequities will now receive the type of resources and guidance needed to scale their work for the benefit of even more Californians.ā
Loyola Marymount University, based in Los Angeles, has been selected as the Statewide Evaluator for Phase II. The awardee has 28 years of experience in conducting evaluations on local and national projects focused on priority issues for underserved communities of color, utilizing community-based participatory research methods.
Population-specific Technical Assistance Providers selected for Phase II include: 1) African American: OnTrack Program Resources, 2) Asian and Pacific Islanders: Special Services for Groups, 3) Latino: University of California, Davis and 4) LGBTQ: The Center for Applied Research Solutions. Responsibilities for the Statewide Evaluators and Technical Assistance Providers will include oversight and advisory consultation to the capacity-building and implementation pilot projects that will be addressing culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services for the five target populations identified in Phase I of the CRDP.
The solicitation for the Native American Technical Assistance Provider has been cancelled. CDPH believes that it can better meet its program objectives by providing more clarity in regards to the stateās needs and will be reissuing the solicitation in the very near future.
The Statewide Evaluator and Technical Assistance Provider contracts will be executed first as these contracts are foundational components for ensuring evaluation guidance and implementation support for pilot projects that will be announced soon. In total, CDPH will award $60 million to 41 contractors and grantees over six years to implement Phase II of CRDP.
The CRDP is funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) that was passed in November 2004. This Act imposes a one-percent income tax on personal income in excess of $1 million.
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