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Committee receives update on behavioral health facility expansion; supervisors seek coordinated public messaging
Summary
Santa Clara County staff told the Finance and Government Operations Committee on Jan. 22 that it submitted three BHCIP applications and a CHFFA grant application and provided preliminary bed estimates for proposed behavioral health treatment expansions.
The Finance and Government Operations Committee on Jan. 22 received an update from the Facilities and Fleet Department and the Behavioral Health Services Department about progress on efforts to expand behavioral health treatment capacity in Santa Clara County.
Kealey, deputy county executive, and David Barry from Facilities and Fleet described three applications the county submitted in December to the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) and provided an update on a California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA) grant.
Staff described the projects and gave preliminary bed estimates if the county's applications are successful: 36 beds at the Morgan Hill skilled nursing facility (18 of those beds designated for a special treatment program); approximately 57 subacute beds as part of the proposed redevelopment at 101 Jose Figueroa; and about 32 residential substance-use treatment beds proposed at 264 North Morrison. Staff said award notifications were expected in the spring, with one speaker noting May as a likely decision month.
Supervisors discussed the need to contextualize bed counts for the public (for example, by estimating how many patients each bed will serve over time by acuity and turnover) and requested county staff estimate beneficiary counts similar to the Office of Supportive Housing's approach to units and persons served. Supervisors also discussed SB 43 (the 2022 statute expanding conservatorship eligibility for people with a serious substance-use disorder) and said an SB 43 progress update should be included in the county's next quarterly public-health-crisis report.
Supervisors raised communications and community-engagement concerns: they asked county staff to "own the narrative" about the expansion to avoid misinformation and requested the county coordinate messaging with the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) and with board offices, particularly for sites that will be located within supervisors' districts. A motion to receive the report with direction for Facilities and Fleet, Behavioral Health Services and others to coordinate with OPA on messaging passed by roll call. There were no public speakers on this item.
Staff said they will develop community-engagement and communications strategies for projects submitted to the state and will coordinate with appropriate board offices on outreach as projects advance and awards are confirmed.
