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Board renews CHOC contract for youth inpatient mental-health services after testimony on rising need
Summary
The Orange County Board approved Amendment 3 to a contract with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) to continue inpatient mental-health beds for youth, after CHOC staff warned rising demand and reimbursement gaps threaten program sustainability.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on May 20 approved Amendment 3 to renew a contract with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) for inpatient mental-health services for children and adolescents, following in-person appeals from CHOC clinicians about growing demand and constrained funding.
Dr. Heather Hussey, chief psychologist at CHOC, told the board the hospital’s inpatient unit serves children ages 4 to 18 and is currently the only county facility treating many children under 12; she said untreated child mental illness raises risks of homelessness, substance use and incarceration. "For the number of children in Orange County with mental-health conditions, it would fill three Angel Stadiums full of kids," Hussey said, urging continued support for the unit.
Jenna Jensen, who described herself as a CHOC staffer and Santa Ana constituent, told the board the cost of providing inpatient pediatric psychiatric care has climbed: the hospital experienced an 11% cost increase over two years and expects another 5% this year, while the current contract provided only a 1% increase. "We'd really like to work with our Health Care Agency to maximize the state's participation and reimbursement for Medi-Cal for inpatient psych," Jensen said.
Supervisors acknowledged the unit’s regional role and the funding pressures. A supervisor moved the item after thanking CHOC for its work; another seconded it. The clerk recorded the motion and the board approved the amendment by voice vote.
Why it matters: The CHOC inpatient unit serves a narrow but critical population — children with severe psychiatric needs including those under 12 — and community witnesses said losing or underfunding the service would reduce county capacity for acute pediatric mental-health care.
What’s next: County staff will process the amendment and pursue the contractual and reimbursement steps described in the Health Care Agency report. The minutes show the board approved the item; the staff report and contract files held by the county procurement office include the full contract text and amendment details.
