Third Sector works with communities and our government agencies to transform how we deliver mental and behavioral health services to support people’s recovery and well-being.
Our Approach to Behavioral Health
In America, we've just begun to address the variety of mental and behavioral health challenges we are all grappling with. As a result, we have not built a robust service delivery system in this space.
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We fail to consistently deliver long-term outcomes for individuals living with behavioral health challenges through our agencies’ programs. Too many of our most vulnerable people experience repeated crises, are often grappling with siloed systems that make seeking help difficult, and are struggling to be well enough to lead the lives they are hoping to lead.
We provide technical assistance that helps our government agencies reorient policy, practice, and behaviors to better support and serve people with behavioral health challenges. Our projects have built provider capacity; reoriented contracts and funding toward long-term outcomes; reduced disparities to improve recovery, well-being, and social connectedness; and reduced homelessness, involvement in the criminal-legal system involvement, and the use of emergency services.
Our work is rooted in a vision of a future where all people can achieve well-being, no matter their race, background, or circumstance. This is a future where people who have mental health challenges and/or other illnesses such as substance abuse are treated with dignity and humanity, where we create public systems to provide the resources and support they need to thrive, and where they can achieve stability and recovery as they define it for themselves.
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Featured Projects
| Project Name | Scope | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Interagency Council on Homelessness | State | Closed | |
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From March 2022 to December 2023, Third Sector advised counties receiving Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds on how to improve state performance goals through various outcomes contracting and continuous improvement strategies. Third Sector also advised the 13 state departments in the state's Funding and Programs Working Group to act on various policy and program priorities by developing a racial equity data plan to improve system coordination and administrative efficiency, a pathway for counties to escalate persistent challenges that require more state support, guidance, or collective problem-solving; and peer-learning forums across state and county departments.
| |||
| Designing Outcomes-Focused Mental Health Services in Los Angeles County | County | CA | Closed |
| Third Sector partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) to transform approximately $300 million in service provider contracts, creating the nation's largest system of outcomes-focused mental health provider contracts. This multiyear, data-driven process focused on LACDMH's Full Service Partnership program, which supports a "whatever it takes" approach to caring for individuals with the most challenging mental health needs. As a result, LACDMH was able to deliver better outcomes for the more than 15,000 clients they serve each day. | |||
| Building a Shared Vision in California for Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness | County | CA | Active |
| Inspired by our groundbreaking work with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Third Sector is leading a cohort of nine diverse California counties over 4.5 years in transforming their Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs to improve client outcomes. Through data-driven approaches and cross-county collaboration Third Sector is working with the counties both collectively and individually to implement an outcomes-focused approach that will increase their overall ability to use data to improve FSP services and outcomes | |||
| Washington State 988 Implementation Support | State | WA | Closed |
| In preparation for 988 hotline implementation as required by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Washington State partnered with Third Sector to perform a landscape assessment exploring the features of a successful, culturally, and linguistically competent crisis response and management system. | |||
All Behavioral Health Projects
| Project Name | Scope | Location | Status | |
| California Interagency Council on Homelessness | State | Closed | ||
Description:
From March 2022 to December 2023, Third Sector advised counties receiving Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds on how to improve state performance goals through various outcomes contracting and continuous improvement strategies. Third Sector also advised the 13 state departments in the state's Funding and Programs Working Group to act on various policy and program priorities by developing a racial equity data plan to improve system coordination and administrative efficiency, a pathway for counties to escalate persistent challenges that require more state support, guidance, or collective problem-solving; and peer-learning forums across state and county departments.
|
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| Designing Outcomes-Focused Mental Health Services in Los Angeles County | County | CA | Closed | |
Description:
Third Sector partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) to transform approximately $300 million in service provider contracts, creating the nation's largest system of outcomes-focused mental health provider contracts. This multiyear, data-driven process focused on LACDMH's Full Service Partnership program, which supports a "whatever it takes" approach to caring for individuals with the most challenging mental health needs. As a result, LACDMH was able to deliver better outcomes for the more than 15,000 clients they serve each day.
|
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| Building a Shared Vision in California for Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness | County | CA | Active | |
Description:
Inspired by our groundbreaking work with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Third Sector is leading a cohort of nine diverse California counties over 4.5 years in transforming their Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs to improve client outcomes. Through data-driven approaches and cross-county collaboration Third Sector is working with the counties both collectively and individually to implement an outcomes-focused approach that will increase their overall ability to use data to improve FSP services and outcomes
|
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| Washington State 988 Implementation Support | State | WA | Closed | |
Description:
In preparation for 988 hotline implementation as required by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Washington State partnered with Third Sector to perform a landscape assessment exploring the features of a successful, culturally, and linguistically competent crisis response and management system.
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| California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) | State | Active | ||
Description:
With support from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, Third Sector assessed the potential for CA state and federal funding streams to support California’s Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) in their effort to coordinate and provide prevention-oriented services to improve community health outcomes. Third Sector coordinated with the CACHI network and other thought leaders to disseminate information on the most promising opportunities. Third Sector also developed a roadmap to help communities understand how to access and leverage Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding to impact community mental health.
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Get in touch
Will Rhett
Managing Director of Behavioral Health
San Diego, CA | wrhett@thirdsectorcap.org