Enacted CA Budget Funds $5M Central Coast Behavioral-Health Pilot Through CenCal Health — Rare Net-Positive for Santa Barbara + SLO
California's enacted FY2026-27 budget includes a one-time $5 million investment for CenCal Health — the Medi-Cal managed-care plan that Central Coast FQHCs bill — together with the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county behavioral-health departments, to launch a pilot for individuals living with severe schizophrenia and anosognosia.
The funds support LEAP (Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner) training, strengthened family-support services, enhanced behavioral-health crisis response and de-escalation, and emergency treatment access, delivered through community-organization partnerships. Adjacent to Section 330 FQHCs rather than a direct grant, it is a rare positive Central Coast behavioral-health signal in a budget year dominated by cuts, and a potential referral/partnership channel for CHC of the Central Coast and Community Health Centers of the Central Coast behavioral-health teams.
Key takeaways
- A one-time $5M pilot flows through CenCal Health — the Medi-Cal plan Central Coast FQHCs bill — plus SB and SLO county behavioral-health departments.
- Targets severe schizophrenia/anosognosia via LEAP training, family support, crisis response, and emergency treatment access — a potential referral/partnership channel for Central Coast FQHC behavioral-health teams.
Linked evidence
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FQHC Talent. (2026, July 2). Enacted CA Budget Funds $5M Central Coast Behavioral-Health Pilot Through CenCal Health — Rare Net-Positive for Santa Barbara + SLO. Linked evidence: Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/cencal-central-coast-behavioral-health-pilot-july-2026
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