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Empowering Young Minds: Medi-Cal’s Enhanced Mental Health Services for Bay Area Youth

Black children and children of color make up nearly 75% of children on Medi-Cal, yet they face significant barriers to accessing mental health services. Despite an overall decline in the suicide rate in California, youth — particularly Black, Latino, and female Californians — have seen disproportionate increases in suicide rates. According to data from 2022, about 4.3% of low-income teens on Medi-Cal have undergone depression screenings and received follow-up treatment. Among Indigenous youth, the screening rate is a little more than half that (2.3%). However, more screenings are probably occurring that are not being reported due to data capture issues.

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2024

Oakland Post

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Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, covers one in three Californians, including more than 50% of the state’s youth. In California, nearly 300,000 youth are coping with depression, and 66 percent of them do not get the help they need, according to Gov. Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health.

To improve access to Medi-Cal mental health services, DHCS implemented a “No Wrong Door” approach to seeking care. In other words, any Medi-Cal member can receive timely access to covered mental health services regardless of where they first seek care, whether at a county mental health office or their Medi-Cal health plan.

Medi-Cal Covered Mental Health Services

Medi-Cal covers a wide range of services to support the emotional, psychological, and social needs of members. Medi-Cal can cover such services as:

Individual, group, and family therapy

Crisis counseling

Case management

Medication for mental health conditions

Depression and anxiety screenings

Drug and alcohol treatment services
Other treatments for significant or complex mental health as necessary

Paula Wilhelm, Deputy Director for Behavioral Health at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), emphasized the state’s commitment to transforming behavioral health services, which covers both mental health and substance use disorder treatment, under Medi-Cal.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health, and all of our health outcomes are intertwined,” Wilhelm said. “DHCS is partnering with health plans and care providers to transform the way behavioral health services are delivered to Medi-Cal members.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) is a monumental investment in strengthening mental health services for young Californians. This initiative focuses on prevention, wellness, screening, assessment, outpatient, and community-based treatment.

Mental Health Virtual Services Apps

In January 2024, DHCS, in collaboration with Kooth and Brightline, launched two mental health virtual services platforms, which you can download as android and apple apps, BrightLife Kids for children aged 0-12 and Soluna for teenagers and young adults aged 13-25.

These platforms connect individuals to free coaching and provide educational content, assessment tools, care navigation services, peer communities, and crisis and safety protocols to all California youth and their families, regardless of insurance coverage.

These services aim to complement existing mental health services by offering additional care options and resources for parents, caregivers, children, youth, and young adults in California. If you experience long wait times to see a mental health counselor, check out these apps to connect to individual or group coaching.

Get Started Today

If you or your child need mental health services, contact your Medi-Cal health plan, which will assess your needs and refer you to get help.

In Alameda County, Medi-Cal members can contact:

Alameda Alliance for Health: 510-747-4567
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Contra Costa County, Medi-Cal members can contact:

Contra Costa Health Plan: 877-661-6230
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Marin County, Medi-Cal members can contact:

Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Solano County, Medi-Cal member can contact:

Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.