Board approves $10.5 million-backed pilot for inpatient fentanyl detox at Good Samaritan

The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 approved two agreements to establish a five‑bed inpatient medical detox pilot at Good Samaritan Hospital and a related memorandum of understanding to create a local continuum of care for people needing medically supervised withdrawal. The program is funded by $10,500,000 in state budget money secured by Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and will pair inpatient detox with case management and post‑hospital transition supports.

County staff, led by budget and policy analysts Amanda Ruiz and Joseph Arriola, told the board the pilot will provide 24‑hour clinical monitoring, psychiatric and nursing oversight, substance‑use counseling and case management for clients who meet American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria at levels 3, 3.7 or 4. "This pilot program would not be possible without the partnership of Good Samaritan Hospital, Kern Health Systems, and Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services," Ruiz said.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services will receive referrals and provide discharge planning and linkage to residential treatment, short‑term post‑hospital housing or sober living as appropriate. Kern Health Systems has committed post‑discharge capacity — up to 10 beds in recuperative care and short‑term post‑hospital programs — to house patients for up to six months while they continue recovery services, a KHS representative said.

Good Samaritan Hospital Chief Executive Officer Minty Dillon described the pilot as a coordinated effort among hospital, county behavioral health and KHS. "We are very excited to take upon this challenge of providing detox services in this pilot project," Dillon said, adding the hospital and partners have worked for months to finalize protocols and referrals.

Dr. Vaga, medical director and psychiatrist at Good Samaritan, said the program allows clinicians to treat people earlier in the course of withdrawal and avoid turning away patients who previously didn’t meet criteria for inpatient care. "There's no more suffering than having to tell a patient ... 'You're not sick enough yet,'" Dr. Vaga said. He said the program will emphasize evidence‑based care and warm handoffs to continuing services.

County staff also described data collection and enforcement and prevention work by the Kern County Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force. The task force reported initial law enforcement seizures equal to tens of millions of milligrams of fentanyl — figures county staff translated as the equivalent of millions of potentially lethal doses — and said it will hold quarterly reviews to assess operations and data.

The board voted separately to approve the two items: the MOU establishing the continuum of care and the agreement funding the inpatient detox beds. Both motions passed unanimously. Supervisors cast their votes following staff presentations and public comment from community and health‑care partners, and leadership from Good Samaritan and Kern Health Systems were present in the audience.

The pilot is scheduled to begin intake once contracts and operational details are finalized. County staff said the pilot will inform planning ahead of state implementation of Assembly Bill 43, which the county expects will increase demand for detox capacity statewide beginning in 2026.

Officials said the pilot is intended as a short‑term, learn‑and‑scale effort: staff emphasized that the five beds are a starting point and that additional capacity will be needed if demand outpaces supply. The task force and county data collection effort will provide quarterly reporting and a mid‑course evaluation to the board.