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Board approves out-of-state training travel and local interpreter training for Behavioral Health amid board questions on cost and travel routes
Summary
Supervisors authorized travel to a national behavioral-health conference and a local interpreter-training contract after a multi-department discussion about cost, training benefits and travel logistics; the board asked staff to evaluate using Imperial County Airport for flights.
The Board of Supervisors approved two Behavioral Health items: authorization for select staff to attend the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP/NatCon) conference in Philadelphia and a local training contract with the National Latino Behavioral Health organization.
Leticia Placarde, director of behavioral health, said the out-of-state travel is part of the county’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) workforce and education plan and that the NatCon conference — which includes management and evidence-based-practice tracks — is a recurring training the department uses for staff development. The board packet lists an estimated travel budget of about $35,000 for multiple attendees and included both conference and travel expenses; Placarde said conference tracks and recertification opportunities justify the selection.
Placarde described the local contract as a one-year training engagement to provide interpretation and cultural competency training aimed at staff who act as interpreters for non-English-speaking clients.
Board discussion and direction: Supervisors asked several questions about the number of attendees, possibility of bringing trainers to Imperial County in lieu of sending staff out of state, and travel logistics. Supervisor Peggy Price suggested the department explore bringing trainers locally so more staff could participate for less cost. Several board members pressed staff to check flight options out of the Imperial County Airport to reduce parking or ground-transfer costs to San Diego or Los Angeles; Supervisor Ryan Elliott Kelly asked that purchasing review local-enplanement options before finalizing bookings. The board also requested outcome evaluation after training to determine cost-effectiveness.
Votes and caveats: The board approved the out-of-state travel authorization (motion by Supervisor Ryan Elliott Kelly, second by Supervisor Martha Cardona Singh) and the local training contract with language limiting automatic four-year renewals; supervisors directed the department to return after one year with evaluation results. The motion to permit the department to fly out of the Imperial County Airport when practical was included as an instruction to staff.
Context: Placarde said some certifications and networked vendors require staff to attend particular conferences; department staff said many clinical and management training opportunities have diminished inside California since COVID and that NatCon provides unique networking and management content.
Ending: The board approved both items but asked staff to seek the most cost-effective travel routes, consider putting trainers on-site for larger groups and return after one year with an evaluation of training outcomes.
