New California Plan Targets Suicide, Self-Harm, and Overdose Through Prevention Efforts

Press release from the California Department of Public Health:

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH)…announced the release of the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Population‑Based Prevention Final Plan. This plan is a comprehensive statewide framework designed to prevent suicide, self‑harm, and overdose, reduce stigma, and strengthen behavioral health and well‑being for all Californians—especially children, youth, and communities disproportionately impacted by systemic racism and discrimination.

“In California, while some indicators suggest emerging progress, there is more to be done to prevent suicide, address drug overdose deaths, and counter widespread social isolation across the lifespan,” said Dr. Erica Pan, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “This work through coordinated population-based efforts will ensure more Californians have access to the information, environments, and supports that promote behavioral health.”

Core Strategies to Strengthen Well‑Being Statewide

Under the Plan, CDPH will lead a coordinated statewide prevention effort anchored by:

• Statewide policy initiatives and prevention strategies: Develop and implement initiatives to reduce behavioral health threats and promote social connection and emotional well-being.
• Public awareness campaigns: Expand and modernize existing campaigns while launching new statewide campaigns on suicide and self‑harm prevention, warmline and 988 crisis line awareness, and substance use disorder prevention.
• Training and technical assistance: Build prevention capacity for educators, health providers, community‑based organizations, Tribal partners, and local jurisdictions.
• Community engagement and coalition building: Ensure that people with lived experience, youth and families, Tribes, and community partners guide ongoing program design, implementation, and evaluation through statewide and regional workgroups.
• Local mobilization: Expand the reach of statewide prevention programming, ensure culturally responsive outreach, and create alignment and coordination with statewide strategies at the local level.

These efforts and strategies build on successes and lessons learned from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYHBI), the California Reducing Disparities Project, the Office of Suicide Prevention, the Office of School Health, the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch’s Overdose Prevention Initiative.

Next Steps

CDPH will issue funding announcements in 2026 and launch additional resources, including the statewide evaluation framework and community‑defined evidence practice list. Updates will be available at the CDPH Transforming Behavioral Health webpage.

Background

The BHSA is a voter-approved initiative to transform behavioral health services through new investments, stronger accountability, and coordinated action across state agencies, counties, Tribes, schools, and community partners. The BHSA provides dedicated ongoing funding for CDPH to implement population-based prevention activities focused on reducing the risk of mental health and substance use disorders and resulting conditions. CDPH will coordinate statewide prevention work, align efforts with other departments, local government, and community partners, and ensure robust evaluation and data transparency.

The plan was developed with extensive public input that included community engagement sessions, Tribal consultations, and feedback from local government partners and other stakeholders statewide. It identifies data‑informed populations of focus, including children and youth, Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern populations, immigrant and refugee populations, LGBTQ+ populations, older adults, Veterans, Tribes, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—groups experiencing the highest behavioral health risks and inequities.