WHEREAS, Senate Bill 803 was signed into law on September 25, 2020, and established the peer support specialist certification program in California and allows new and current peer support workers to be Medi-Cal certified peer support specialists; and

WHEREAS, Peer support specialists are trained providers who use their lived experience to encourage, engage with, and support others with mental health, addiction, or trauma challenges using the recovery model and the principles and values of peer support to provide hope, support, and be a role model of recovery; and

WHEREAS, Peer support specialists use the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) definition of recovery, guiding principles of recovery, mission, and vision to empower and assist their peers to live a life of their choosing, improving the likelihood of long-term recovery; and

WHEREAS, Medi-Cal certified peer support specialist services are eligible for federal reimbursements; and

WHEREAS, Peer support is an emerging best practice, has proven to be a cost-effective treatment for mental health, addiction, and traumatic challenges, reduces inpatient hospital days and recidivism rates, and increases a consumer’s ability to access culturally responsive community-based services; and

WHEREAS, California is facing severe behavioral health workforce shortages and peer support specialists can play a meaningful role in alleviating these shortages; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to increase public awareness of peers, peer services, how they are impacting the lives of countless adults, children, adolescents, and families within the health and human services industry, and how they are providing a shining example of recovery in the array of services delivered; now, therefore, be it