The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and UCLA are partnering to leverage the strengths of these two world-class public institutions to build a stronger and more resilient safety net. Through DMH funding and systems support, and UCLA’s academic expertise, this partnership aims to improve the wellbeing of LA County.

GOALS

Strengthen communities

  • Mitigate the impact of trauma and promote the resilience of individuals and communities

Reengineer systems

  • Engage and assist marginalized and underserved residents by improving broken, inequitable systems

Revitalize policy

  • Build equity into societal structures through policy

PROGRAMS

Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA

  • UCLA Child & Youth Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (COE) engages peer and professional providers, across LA County DMH and its partner agencies, to promote mental health and wellbeing. The COE prioritizes interconnection among Los Angeles County departments and training across systems of care while providing implementation and evaluation support for program innovation. www.wellbeing4la.org
  • DMH + UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership (PMHP) partners with Los Angeles County DMH to provide training and implementation support for individuals living with complex mental illness. PMHP provides oversight for a new California Center of Excellence for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT). pmhp.ucla.edu
  • UCLA Hispanic Neuropsychiatric Center of Excellence (HNCE) – Bilingual and Spanish Interdisciplinary Clinical Training Program (BASIC-T) improves access to psychological services for the diverse communities of Los Angeles, focused on culturally informed, evidence-based assessment. www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/psychiatry/spanish-speaking-programs/bilingual-and-spanish-interdisciplinary-clinical-training
  • DMH + UCLA General Medical Education – Psychiatry Residency and Fellowships (GME) supports expertise development around community engagement, health services research, quality improvement, health equity, and policy to nurture an active career using those skills in future providers and making a change in society.
  • DMH + Semel Institute National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) trains mental health clinicians to perform collaborative research with diverse communities to address health disparities.
  • UCLA Justice in Criminal Neuropsychology (JCN) Program – Conservatorship Assessment Team (CAT) partners with the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to provide civil conservatorship and high-risk forensic evaluations while training the next generation of forensic clinicians. www.semel.ucla.edu/initiatives/justice-in-criminal-neuropsychology-jcn
  • UCLA Public Psychiatry Fellowship Program equips early-career psychiatrists with the clinical, leadership, and advocacy skills needed to better serve under-resourced patients and communities and to make a lasting impact in public service. publicpsychiatryfellowship.semel.ucla.edu

UCLA School of Education and Information Sciences

  • UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families addresses the challenges of reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on those facing inequity and disparities. Visit pritzkercenter.ucla.edu

UCLA Department of Economics

  • California Policy Lab develops data-driven, upstream strategies for people experiencing homelessness. Visit capolicylab.org