(a) It is the intent of this part to establish a program with dedicated funding to remedy the shortage of qualified individuals to provide services to address severe mental illnesses.

(b) Each county mental health program shall submit to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development a needs assessment identifying its shortages in each professional and other occupational category in order to increase the supply of professional staff and other staff that county mental health programs anticipate they will require in order to provide the increase in services projected to serve additional individuals and families pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 5800), Part 3.2 (commencing with Section 5830), Part 3.6 (commencing with Section 5840), and Part 4 (commencing with Section 5850) of this division. For purposes of this part, employment in California’s public mental health system includes employment in private organizations providing publicly funded mental health services.

(c) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, in coordination with the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, shall identify the total statewide needs for each professional and other occupational category utilizing county needs assessment information and develop a five-year education and training development plan.

(d) Development of the first five-year plan shall commence upon enactment of the initiative. Subsequent plans shall be adopted every five years, with the next five-year plan due as of April 1, 2014.

(e) Each five-year plan shall be reviewed and approved by the California Behavioral Health Planning Council.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 511, Sec. 17. (AB 1688) Effective January 1, 2018. Note: This section was added on Nov. 2, 2004, by initiative Prop. 63.)