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Plumas County officials warn of staffing, IT and network gaps as BHSA plan accepted
Summary
County behavioral-health leaders told commissioners June 3 that the BHSA plan was accepted by the state, but the county faces staffing shortages, a paused mobile crisis launch, an impending state payer‑interface (API) deadline and a network adequacy finding tied to missing therapeutic foster care.
Sharon, identified at the meeting as the department director, told the Plumas County Behavioral Health Commission that the county’s Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) plan was accepted by the state last week, while noting that additional corrections may still be required.
"The whole plan itself was accepted by the state," Sharon said, and staff are working through any outstanding corrections.
Commissioners and staff discussed several operational challenges. Jessica reported that the county’s planned mobile crisis program is stalled because licensed staff are not available, saying that "even if we were to get the support of a community partner, it would not be enough to launch the program" without licensed clinicians. She also told the commission the county is still awaiting Board of Supervisors approval for a certified peer position, which has cleared union review but requires county-counsel and board action.
A separate and time‑sensitive compliance issue is the state requirement to implement a payer‑interface (API) by September to track claims and communicate with other payer systems. Jessica said the county’s current electronic health record (Credible) cannot meet the requirement and that vendor options are limited; she said the county recently received a quote and is reviewing financial and contract terms with fiscal staff. "There are financial sanctions" for not being compliant by the deadline, Jessica said.
Jessica also reported that the county is appealing a network adequacy report because it flagged missing services; she identified therapeutic foster care as a service largely unavailable across much of Northern California, which would require out‑of‑county contracts and transfers coordinated with Child Protective Services.
On staffing, Sharon said Kathy Schwartz is retiring and the county promoted Matt Ward to unit supervisor; she said HR and county counsel are reviewing job descriptions to broaden qualifications and increase the candidate pool for a second unit supervisor and other vacancies. Sharon added that County Council has approved a contract with Harvest Healthcare Solutions and that legal review is underway before the county brings the item to the board for final approval.
Commissioners did not vote on policy changes at the meeting but were updated on the acceptance of the BHSA plan, staffing transitions and near‑term compliance and contracting work.
