Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program.

Senator Umberg's amendments to California's Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act expand eligibility criteria and streamline court procedures for connecting individuals with severe mental illness to behavioral health services. The legislation modifies how courts evaluate candidates for the CARE program and broadens diagnostic qualifications to include bipolar I disorder with psychotic features.

The bill allows courts to make initial eligibility determinations without a hearing and enables direct referrals from felony proceedings when defendants agree. County behavioral health agencies and jail medical providers may now share confidential medical records with courts to assess service eligibility. The amendments also authorize courts to schedule additional progress hearings beyond the initial 60-day review.

For professional qualifications, nurse practitioners and physician assistants join licensed behavioral health professionals authorized to prepare supporting affidavits for CARE petitions. The Department of Health Care Services must produce annual reports analyzing program outcomes, including housing status, hospitalization rates, and demographic data to identify potential disparities in implementation.

The legislation maintains core confidentiality protections while establishing data collection requirements to evaluate effectiveness. Counties must track participant demographics, services provided, housing placements, and other metrics for both active participants and graduates. This information will inform ongoing assessment of the program's impact on reducing involuntary treatment and improving stability through voluntary community-based care.