August 6, 2025

Scaling Behavioral Health Integration Across California

TOPLINES

Through CalHIVE BHI, CQC advanced scalable solutions for depression screening, diagnosis, and access to care.

How CQC’s 2024 initiatives supported whole-person care for 730,000 Californians

Behavioral health is essential—but many Californians still struggle to access it.

At CQC, we’re helping primary care teams close that gap by integrating behavioral health services in ways that are sustainable, equitable and scalable.

CQC’s Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Initiative is a multi-year statewide effort to accelerate behavioral health integration in small and independent primary care practices. The initiative supports practices in improving screening, diagnosis and treatment of mild-to-moderate behavioral health conditions—such as depression, anxiety and substance use—through direct technical assistance, peer learning and systems-level alignment.

In 2024, our CalHIVE BHI collaborative supported eight organizations as they advanced integration across California—reaching more than 730,000 lives.

We also launched a youth-focused learning exchange, extended technical assistance statewide and emphasized partnerships tha thelp families get faster, easier access to behavioral health.

2024 Highlights

730,000 Californians served by eight primary care organizations through CalHIVE BHI
- 9.8% increase in depression screening, with 32,500 additional patients screened
- 1,554 new depression diagnoses and 1,143 patients connected to care
- 200+ hours of improvement coaching delivered
554 attendees participated in 33 learning events and trainings
15 strategic actions recommended to advance sustainable BHI payment models

Explore the lessons and strategies that drove this work:

Read the 2024 BHI Integration Initiative Annual Report

Turning Shared Goals Into Real-World Results: CQC’s 2024 Impact

CQC’s 2024 efforts supported more than 932,000 Californians through initiatives that advanced value-based payment, expanded behavioral health access and helped providers embed equity into quality improvement—driving results across regions and populations.

Driving Access Through Innovation: Tweedy Medical Group’s Story

Tweedy Medical Group, a primary care clinic in Los Angeles participating in the EQuIP-LA initiative to reduce disparities for Medi-Cal enrollees of color, launched a nonprofit to eliminate medication cost barriers and partnered with a local pharmacy to improve access, outcomes and patient engagement.

Closing Gaps and Centering Equity: Reddy Care Medical’s Story

Reddy Care Medical, a primary care practice in Los Angeles participating in the EQuIP-LA initiative to reduce disparities for Medi-Cal enrollees of color, trained community health workers, addressed key social needs and strengthened care coordination to advance more equitable, patient-centered care.

Transforming Medicare in California: Pathways to Improvement

In its new issue brief, the California Medicare Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder effort was dedicated to improving care for residents insured solely by Medicare, including duals, non-duals and those in both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage programs, provides recommendations to address the complex needs of the population.