Eureka staff report local Care Court progress; Humboldt County reports 55 referrals and one graduate
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Summary
Rosen, a local Care Court staffer, briefed the council on statewide and local Care Court implementation changes, funding gaps and local outcomes: Humboldt County has recorded 55 referrals with one graduation since December 2024 and the city team has submitted eight referrals; staff stressed ongoing collaboration and insufficient funding for required intensive services.
City manager Slattery introduced a Care Court update and Rosen, representing local Care Court efforts, briefed the council on implementation, referrals and challenges.
Rosen said Care Court implementation across counties has been adjusted after SB 27 and that the program's eligible diagnoses were expanded to include bipolar I disorder with a psychotic-feature specifier. He described process streamlining that allows some referrals to be evaluated or converted to petitions even if not every referral form box is completed, increasing opportunities for people to receive assessment and services. Rosen also said the program remains largely an unfunded mandate for behavioral-health departments and that billing options do not cover the intensity of services required.
Rosen reported Humboldt County has had 55 Care Court referrals and one person graduated from the program since December 2024. The city care team submitted eight referrals directly and collaborated on about 15 of the 55; Rosen said Humboldt has one of the highest referral rates per capita and credited collaboration among county behavioral health, the courts, the DA's office and the public defender. He flagged ongoing gaps: limited staff (for example, one clinician and one case manager locally), challenges getting complete referral information from first responders, and limited consequences for nonparticipation in voluntary agreements.
Council members asked about funding, timelines to graduation (Care Court generally runs on a two-year timeline), and whether any city referrals had been part of diversion or court-ordered programs; Rosen said he was not aware of city referrals being diverted into court-ordered programs and said more data will become available as referrals progress through the two-year timeline. Rosen recommended continued coordination with county partners and streamlining referral pathways for first responders.
The council received the report and no formal action was taken.