California Briefs: State Invests $33M Mentored Internship Program and Bill Introduced to Promote Inclusion for MENA Community

State Invests an Additional $33M in Mentored Internship Program

SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services or DHCS awarded an additional $33 million to 120 nonprofit provider and tribal organizations, extending the existing behavioral health workforce Mentored Internship Program to organizations that successfully completed the first round of the program.

Each entity will receive up to $500,000 to enhance and build its behavioral health substance use disorder workforce, focusing on resources that expand the prevention, treatment, and recovery workforce to support Californians with or at risk of developing an opioid use disorder.

DHCS is investing in organizations in underserved and diverse communities across California. The awards represent one part of DHCS’ strategy to expand California’s behavioral health workforce by providing on-the-job experience to students at multiple stages of their education. 

The Mentored Internship Program was established in 2022 in response to various California-specific behavioral health workforce needs assessments and recommendations that revealed a shortage of professionals across the spectrum of behavioral health careers. The program aims to develop and implement an internship program to assist in the treatment and recovery of patients with substance use, mental health, or co-occurring disorders. Organizations will identify mentors for interns in various positions, such as peer recovery specialists, outreach workers, case managers, and counselors. Students in such fields as social work, public health, and psychology are encouraged to serve as interns, along with students enrolled at community colleges and four-year colleges and universities, as well as current high school students or recent high school graduates. 

Padilla Introduces Bill to Promote Health Equity and Inclusion for MENA Community

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) Sept. 22 introduced the Health Equity and Middle Eastern and North African or MENA Community Inclusion Act, legislation that would help make sure the federal government accurately recognizes the experiences and needs of members of MENA communities. This bill would help make them eligible for targeted minority public health programs and resources. Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.-16) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“Every individual deserves access to high quality and affordable health care, but the federal government has consistently failed to adequately address the unique health needs of many racial and ethnic minority groups like Middle Eastern and North African communities,” said Sen. Padilla. “California is home to the largest MENA population in the United States, and I am proud to introduce this legislation to finally ensure they get the recognition and resources they deserve. This bill also supports targeted government research into health outcomes for MENA populations so we can continue to break down historical health inequities.”

Specifically, the Health Equity and Middle Eastern and North African or MENA Community Inclusion Act would amend the Public Health Service Act of 1944 by adding “Middle Easterners and North Africans’ to the definition of ‘racial and ethnic minority groups” at the Department of Health and Human Services’ office of minority health, making MENA individuals and communities eligible for resources targeted toward historically marginalized groups. These resources and programs — which MENA communities have not been able to fully access because the federal government often incorrectly categorizes them as “white” — are specifically designed to address the negative public health impacts experienced by many in historically marginalized communities and are key to improving health outcomes and general quality of life.

Additionally, the bill directs the federal government to undertake a comprehensive study of the unique health patterns and outcomes of MENA populations to make up for the historic lack of public health research on the communities. It also aims to ensure that the federal government is specifically considering how MENA communities’ health is impacted in various ways and would provide guidance to the Department of Health and Human Services to proactively incorporate recognition of “Middle Easterners and North Africans” into their implementation of existing programs that rely upon the definition of “racial and ethnic minority groups.” The bill also expresses to Congress that funds authorized for programs should be increased to account for the unique health needs of “Middle Easterners or North Africans” alongside those of all other racial and ethnic minority groups.

The Health Equity and MENA Community Inclusion Act is endorsed by organizations including ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), Access California Services, American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN), American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, National Health Law Program, National Immigration Law Center, National Partnership for Women & Families, the Arc of the United States and many more.

A one-pager of the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.