Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves County's Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan after questioning on targets and funds
Summary
The Orange County Board voted to approve its Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan after members pressed Health Care Agency staff for clearer outcome targets, funding breakdowns, and how mobile addiction treatment links to longer-term recovery.
The board reviewed and approved the Health Care Agency's Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan, an overarching document that lays out county priorities for behavioral health services and how the county will use BHSA and other funds.
Supervisor Katrina Foley led a detailed line of questioning, pressing staff on measurable outcomes, the number of people the plan will move into permanent housing in year one, and how mobile addiction treatment will connect people into longer-term recovery. "It seems like we're spending a lot of money on a few number of people... the goal is only to serve 2,800 adults and older adults as it relates to housing support," Foley said, asking how the county derived the numbers and how outcomes will be measured.
Dr. Veronica Kelly, Director of the Health Care Agency, explained state constraints on the plan's format, noting the state-provided template limits what can be included. Kelly said metrics and contract-level outcome measures will be specified in individual procurement actions that implement the plan, and she described BHSA as part of a broader system of care that addresses people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders. On housing dollars, Kelly said some funding buckets cannot be used for development planning without state approval and that the county has pursued conversations with the governor's office and housing officials about flexibility.
Kelly described the mobile addiction treatment component as providing medication-assisted treatment and outreach to people who are mobile and hard to reach, with the expectation of linkage to outpatient or residential care as clinically appropriate. After discussion, the board moved and approved the integrated plan, while members asked staff to follow up with further clarifications on figures and program design as contracts return to the board for approval.
The board emphasized that while the integrated plan is required by state law and follows a prescribed template, implementation actions will come in subsequent contract approvals where more specific outcome measures and budget details will be laid out.
