County adopts final Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan, authorizes submission to state

Santa Cruz County's Board of Supervisors on June 9 approved the county's three-year Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan and authorized staff to submit the plan and any technical revisions required by the California Department of Health Care Services. The plan sets spending and programming priorities for 2026'2029 and adapts the county's mental health and substance-use services to new state mandates.

The action: The board voted 5'0'to'00 to approve the plan after a presentation by Connie Maro Pereza, director of the county's Health Services Agency, and Dr. Marty Sandival, the county's behavioral health lead. Supervisors asked for clarifications but backed staff's recommendation to send the final package to the state before the June 30 deadline.

Why it matters: BHSA restructures prior MHSA funding categories, increases state reporting and mandates a larger share of behavioral health funds be directed at housing supports. Under the new rules, counties are required to invest in full-service partnerships, housing interventions and early-intervention services. Dr. Sandival told the board the state approved the county's draft submission on June 2, but the board's final sign-off is required for formal certification.

What the plan does: The county says it preserved existing programs while shifting resources to comply with BHSA mandates. Highlights include: - A 30% emphasis on housing-related interventions and supports for people experiencing serious mental illness or substance-use disorders, including board-and-care placements and housing navigation services; staff estimated roughly $32 million will be directed to sustain housing efforts, and roughly $93 million can be tagged to housing interventions when outpatient and navigation services are included. - Creation of a culturally responsive early-intervention access program for Pajaro Valley/South County, aimed at parent education, LGBTQ+ youth supports and connection for Spanish- and indigenous-language families. - Replacement revenue and program changes for veterans and senior services, with some prevention funding shifted to other sources (opioid settlement dollars and existing early-intervention funding). - Investments in technology modernization, crisis services, and system integration to meet new state reporting and administrative requirements.

Board questions and concerns: Supervisors pressed staff on whether the county could sustain mobile crisis teams if the state changes funding, what types of housing the 30% requirement could be used for (staff explained it funds services, navigation and supportive board-and-care placements rather than construction alone), and how the county will maintain services for uninsured and undocumented residents. Dr. Sandival said the county had budgeted for mobile crisis teams in 2026''27, but future years depend on state budget decisions.

Public comment and community input: County staff said they received 63 public comments on the draft plan and modified priorities in response; community groups urged continued support for parenting programs and South County outreach. Staff said the county will issue a request for qualifications for local providers to deliver culturally responsive services and will offer technical assistance to small community-based organizations to encourage participation.

Next steps: With board approval the county will submit the final BHSA integrated plan certification to the Department of Health Care Services by June 30, and staff said they will return with annual reports on implementation. The board also authorized staff to make technical adjustments requested by the state if those do not increase costs.

Sources: Presentation and board discussion at the June 9 Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors meeting (presentation by Connie Maro Pereza and Dr. Marty Sandival).