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County praises behavioral‑health co‑response model as budget pressures mount
Summary
County officials highlighted expansion of the Bwel Medi‑Cal model and co‑response teams with law enforcement during the April 13 budget workshop as a key system success even as the county faces tight budgets and program reconfiguration under state changes.
Behavioral‑health leaders told supervisors that transformation work under Proposition 1 and a focus on Medi‑Cal revenue maximization have rapidly increased the county’s behavioral‑health income and capacity, while also positioning co‑response teams—police paired with behavioral‑health specialists—as a cost‑effective intervention.
Bwel staff reported revenue growth in recent years and described plans to use federal and Medi‑Cal funds to stabilize and expand services despite the broader budget shortfall. Multiple supervisors and public speakers praised the county’s co‑response teams for reducing crisis incidents and keeping people out of jail; some urged the board to consider additional funding to sustain and expand that model.
County counsel and budget staff cautioned that shifts in state medical policy (part of the HR1 discussion) create timing risks for relying on future revenue increases; supervisors asked behavioral‑health leaders for scenarios showing the funding and staff needed to maintain current co‑response and crisis‑response capacity under several revenue outcomes.
