(90) Behavioral Health

Mental Health Division

County of San Benito Behavioral Health (COSB BH) Mental Health Division (MH) delivers specialty mental health prevention programs and treatment services that are accessible to the County’s population. Services are available primarily in English and Spanish, and are delivered at our outpatient clinic, in the schools, and at Esperanza, our drop-in center. Beginning in FY 23-24 services are being expanded to be delivered in the community and at individual’s homes, places of residence, with collaborative agencies such as schools, juvenile hall, shelters, and other community areas to achieve positive outcomes. Typical services available are:

• Clinical Assessment,
• Outpatient Counseling Services
• Individual, Family, and Group Counseling,
• Medication Services, including telepsychiatry,
• Case Management,
• Crisis Intervention and Stabilization,
• Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization (delivered at regional hospitals),
• Behavioral Health services also deliver services to clients referred from other County departments, including onsite at the Adult and Juvenile Detention Facilities,
• Mental Health Treatment evaluations – referrals from the Superior Court for evaluation for outpatient or treatment facility commitment,
• Mental Health Diversion and Re-Entry Court for criminal offenders and other Justice Involved individuals affected by mental illness,
• Domestic violence victims counseling program,
• Client behavioral health treatment services for clients referred by Health and Human Services Agency – Child Protective Services,
• An array of treatment, prevention, early intervention and supportive housing projects with services funded by Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) and other DHCS grants.

Substance Use Disorder (SUDs) Division

County of San Benito Behavioral Health (COSB BH), Substance Use Disorder Services Division (SUDs) provides a continuum of care encompassing prevention, intervention, and treatment services. Prevention activities include school-based and community-focused programs. The continuum of services available is for all age groups, from youth to senior citizens. Services are available to those who self-refer or are mandated by courts. These substance abuse treatment services are provided through outpatient clinic-based services and through contract providers who provide residential treatment, sober living residences, outpatient Narcotic Treatment and Medication Assisted Treatment Programs. Services include:

• Prevention and Outreach services through funding from the Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Block Grant (SABG)
• Substance Use Disorder Screening
• Substance Use Disorder Assessment and Treatment Planning
• Individual and Group Counseling
• Case Management support
• Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services for adults and youth
• Information, referral, and linkage assistance to other agencies including residential treatment programs, Narcotic Treatment Programs (NTPs)/Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs.
• Perinatal Outpatient Treatment that provides focused treatment for the population of pregnant or parenting mothers in need of substance abuse treatment. Transportation and childcare are also provided for eligible clients participating in this program.
• Substance Use Disorder treatment and services through collaboration with county partners to provide support to incarcerated inmates, youth placed in the juvenile detention facility and clients working with Child Protective Services.
• The Drug Court Program is an alternative treatment option to incarceration for individuals arrested for minor drug offences. Drug Court is a project involving multiple agencies such as Behavioral Health’s SUDs Program, Probation, District Attorney, Public Defender, and the Superior Court.

Recent Departmental Accomplishments:

• Obtained the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) grant which is a partnership between county mental health and local education agencies to deliver school-based mental health services to young people and their families. These partnerships support outreach to identify early signs of unmet mental health needs, reduce stigma and discrimination, and prevent unmet mental health needs from becoming severe and disabling. This 4.5-year grant began in February 2023 and will be sunset in December 2027.

• COSB BH joined the Greater Bay Area Regional Partnership through the Mental Health Services Act Workforce Education and Training (WET) program that developed a Loan Repayment Program (LRP) opportunity. SBCBH, in collaboration with other counties in the region, has partnered with the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) to make this funding available to the county Public Mental Health System workforce. It will award up to $20,000 to qualified providers that commit to a 24-month service obligation in a recognized hard-to-fill or hard-to-retain position.

• This program has also been expanded to include the addition of staff retention and scholarship opportunities for those seeking other career opportunities within the county.

• COSB BH has completed the first Request for Proposal (RFP) for Outpatient Mental Health services to support our community and BH Department. The Department was able to award three-year contracts to Seneca Family Agencies and Rebekah Children’s Services for the Department’s outpatient children/TAY services and Community Solutions with our adult/older adult outpatient services. The Department will work collaboratively with these agencies to expand BH services.

• With the continued substance use issues within our community, COSB BH was able to expand and develop the Friday Night Live (FNL) program, which is designed for high school-aged young people and is motivated by youth-adult partnerships that create essential and powerful opportunities that enhance and improve local communities and an explore alternatives to substance use, and the development of Club Live (CL), an extension of the successful Friday Night Live program and is aimed at middle school age students. CL fosters resiliency and protective factors through the development of action-oriented chapters. Each program works collaboratively with our local school districts.

• COSB BH has expanded their services by providing Intensive Outpatient Services for those needing substance use services. Intensive outpatient (IOP) programs for substance use disorders (SUDs) offer services to clients seeking primary treatment; step-down care from inpatient, residential, and withdrawal management settings; or step-up treatment from individual or group outpatient treatment. These services were contracted to community-based organizations and are now offered by SBCBH within our community.

Long Range Planning Goals (3-5 Year) for Department:

• The Janssen & Distributors Opioid Settlement Funds, totaling $26 billion nationwide, come from two distinct settlements: Janssen Pharmaceuticals (“Janssen”), and the “big three” distributors, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health (“Distributors”), offering to settle to resolve their liabilities in over 3,000 opioid crisis related lawsuits nationwide. The National Janssen & Distributors Settlement Agreements from July 21, 2021, outline the allocation of funds, the allowable expenditures for the funds, and other requirements associated with their use and disbursement. California will be receiving $2.05 billion from these two settlements. The Distributors will make their payments to California over the course of 18 years, while Janssen will make payments over the course of 9 years.

• COSB BH will receive .1104147% of the $2.05 billion settlement agreement. COSB BH will work collaboratively with other entities within the community to develop prevention programs that promote the well-being of our community and address the ongoing opioid use issues.

• COSB BH has applied for the non-competitive Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program. The funding will be used to address the immediate housing needs of unhoused people who have serious behavioral health conditions, including serious mental illness (SMI) and/or severe substance use disorders (SUD). This program will provide an additional $2.2 million for 4 years. With the addition of these funds, we will be expanding staffing and programs for those needing these services within our community.

• The Department has received implementation funding towards Community Assistance, Recovery, & Empowerment Act (CARE) Court. The Department will be working collaboratively with our local county partners, law enforcement, and court system to provide participants with a clinically appropriate, community-based set of services and supports that are culturally and linguistically competent. The county of San Benito will attempt to implement this program by December 2024.

• The Department is creating a community response program that includes a mobile crisis service for those in the community who need additional support for crisis situations. Within the next 1-3 years the department will develop programming to address ongoing crises and support and work collaboratively with our local law enforcement and other community-based entities.

• As the state continues to change the expectations of Behavioral Health, the department will explore grant opportunities that will support providing quality care for those within the community and offer growth opportunities for those within the department.