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Alameda County Health lays out 2025 priorities, flags SB 43 implementation and homelessness planning
Summary
Alameda County Health Agency staff told the Health Committee they will prioritize CalAIM implementation, Measure W/Home Together Plan renewal, SB 43 implementation by Jan. 1, 2026, workforce recruitment and data modernization, and called for broad community engagement on planning processes.
Colleen Chawla, Alameda County Health agency director, and Assistant Agency Director Anika Choudhury briefed the county Health Committee on the agency’s major initiatives for 2025, emphasizing CalAIM implementation, homelessness planning and work to modernize data and workforce systems.
The presentation listed five priority areas—safety net services, community readiness and resilience, cross‑system collaboration, workforce and aligned infrastructure—framing them around health equity and the county’s Vision 2036. “Alameda County Health has an important role in advancing our county’s Vision 2036,” Chawla said as she opened the briefing.
Anika Choudhury outlined program specifics: ongoing CalAIM implementation with attention to state and federal budget pressures; Measure W and the Home Together Plan (the five‑year homelessness strategy), which is due for renewal this year; and transition planning for the Behavioral Health Services Act (PREP1/BHSA), with a related plan due in July 2026. Choudhury said the agency will bring updates to the committee and the full board as planning advances.
Staff also flagged SB 43, a state law that expands circumstances under which involuntary treatment can be imposed to include certain substance‑use conditions. Choudhury said the board previously set a deadline of no later than January 1, 2026, for local implementation and that behavioral health is preparing an implementation plan with that date in mind.
The briefing covered several operational items: Measure C planning for a pediatric health account (the board previously allocated a portion of the Measure C account to Alameda County Health for planning), ongoing monitoring of HealthPAC (the county’s low‑income coverage program) pending federal policy shifts affecting Medi‑Cal eligibility, and tracking of Saint Rose Hospital. Choudhury said the agency will continue coordinating with community partners and provider groups.
On infrastructure and workforce, staff described plans to modernize human‑resources and finance systems, pursue an electronic health record (initially for behavioral health), expand cross‑systems data sharing, and explore community health worker reimbursement under CalAIM. Choudhury also said the agency aims to launch a consolidated website in March to replace numerous legacy pages.
Why it matters: the items staff highlighted affect service eligibility, budgeting and program design across public health, behavioral health and homelessness services. Board members asked for follow‑up briefings on care court operations, the Measure W litigation and planned community engagement for the Home Together Plan.
The committee did not take formal votes on these items; staff said they will return with specific proposals, timelines and requests to the board.
