Rohnert Park SAFE team reports growth, seeks county Medi‑Cal support and SmartCare data certification
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Summary
Interim Public Safety Director Chief Tim Matos reported a rise in SAFE team calls and a $1.14 million 2025 cost funded by Measure O; the county has set aside $3.2 million for non‑MST teams and staff aim to certify Petaluma People Services Center to bill Medi‑Cal by June 30, though reimbursement amounts remain uncertain.
Chief Tim Matos presented the Rohnert Park SAFE (Specialized Assistance for Everyone) team’s 2025 annual update to the council and said the program recorded about 3,312 calls for service last year, with dispatch calls just over 2,000. He described an operational shift toward more proactive, non‑dispatch outreach and follow‑up visits that raise the call-for-service number while reducing dispatch counts.
Matos said the SAFE program cost approximately $1,140,000 in 2025 and that Measure O funded the program. He gave the local funding split as Rohnert Park 82 percent, Cotati 12 percent and Sonoma State University about 6 percent. He said Sonoma County has identified $3.2 million in Measure O funding for non‑MST teams countywide, allocating $1.6 million for Santa Rosa and setting aside the other $1.6 million to be split among Rohnert Park, Cotati, SSU and Petaluma safe teams — roughly $800,000 per team under current plans.
Council members pressed staff about when SAFE could bill Medi‑Cal. City staff and the Petaluma People Services Center — which implements the program — are pursuing certification that would allow billing; staff described two necessary elements: clinician access to the team and a reliable client-data system. Matos and other staff said they are implementing SmartCare for the required data collection and hoped to have billing arrangements and certification in place by June 30, but cautioned that the amount reimbursable through Medi‑Cal is unknown until client insurance data and billing are in regular use.
Council members praised the SAFE model’s success, urged continued advocacy to preserve Measure O resources and discussed operational adjustments (peak‑hour clinician coverage, on‑call arrangements) should county funding fall short. City staff said some local jurisdictions reduced program costs by changing staffing models (for example, removing a firefighter/paramedic from another city’s unit) and that Rohnert Park is negotiating clinician access and data systems to maximize possible reimbursements.
The council did not take formal action on SAFE funding at the meeting; members asked staff to continue negotiating with the county and report back as budget discussions progress.
