June 21, 2005–Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of F. Jerome Doyle, CEO of EMQ Children & Family Services, to the 12-member Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission created by Proposition 63.

The role of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) is to develop strategies to overcome stigma and accomplish the objectives of Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act that California voters passed in November 2004.

The Commission will advise the Governor or the Legislature regarding actions the state may take to improve care and services for people with mental illness.

The Commission is required to annually review and approve each county mental health program for expenditures. If the commission identifies a critical issue related to the performance of a county mental health program, it may refer the issue to the State Department of Mental Health.

Doyle, 64, of Los Gatos, has been the president and chief executive officer of EMQ, a provider of mental health services for children and adolescents, since 1987. He was previously the executive director of Eastfield Children's Center, served in the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services Division of Family Services and was director of the Chase House, a residential program for adolescent boys in Madison, Wisconsin. Doyle is a past president of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies and currently serves on the board of directors. He is a member of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the California Alliance for Children and Family Services and serves on the board of California Mental Health Advocates for Children.

Others appointed to the Commission are Carmen Diaz, Saul Feldman, Linford Gayle, Mary Hayashi, Patrick Henning, Karen Henry, Gary Jaeger, William Kolender, Kelvin Lee, Andrew Poat and Darlene Prettyman.

The Mental Health Services Act imposes an additional 1% tax on that portion of a taxpayer's taxable income in excess of one million dollars.

Funding will be made annually to counties to:

• Define serious mental illness among children, adults and seniors as a condition deserving priority attention, including prevention and early intervention services and medical and supportive care.
• Reduce the long-term adverse impact on individuals, families and state and local budgets resulting from untreated serious mental illness.
• Expand the kinds of successful, innovative service programs for children, adults and seniors already established in California, including culturally and linguistically competent approaches for underserved populations.
• Provide state and local funds to adequately meet the needs of all children and adults who can be identified and enrolled in programs under this measure.
• Ensure all funds are expended in the most cost-effective manner and services are provide in accordance with recommended best practices subject to local and state oversight to ensure accountability to taxpayers and to the public.

Press Contact:
Kristine Austin
EMQ Children & Family Services
Office: (408) 364-4029
Cell: (408) 718-8446
kaustin@emq.org