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County hears SunCal Health update on CalAIM, expanded Medi‑Cal behavioral health services
Summary
SunCal Health told the Board of Supervisors about expanded Medi‑Cal behavioral health services under CalAIM — including enhanced care management, community supports, the new sobering center, school behavioral health incentives and planned transitional rent supports — and discussed coordination with county behavioral health and jail pre‑release planning.
Representatives of SunCal Health (SimCal Health) briefed the Board on Aug. 20 about recent integration of mild‑to‑moderate behavioral health services into locally governed Medi‑Cal plans and the organization’s work under CalAIM.
Marina Owen, CEO, described SunCal Health as a locally governed nonprofit health plan serving nearly 240,000 members across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and said its local governance structure supports partnerships with county behavioral health and local providers. Blanca Zuniga (associate director of care management) and other SunCal staff detailed CalAIM initiatives the plan has implemented: enhanced care management (ECM), a set of 14 optional community support services (now being offered locally), community health worker and doula services, and investments to expand capacity. SunCal said it has invested and routed more than $9 million year‑to‑date to local agencies and partners for ECM and community supports.
Speakers emphasized several programs: a sobering center that provides a non‑hospital alternative and direct pathways to substance‑use and mental‑health treatment; the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program to expand on‑campus services and screenings in three local districts; and a forthcoming special needs dual program (integrating Medi‑Cal and Medicare) planned for 2026. SunCal staff said over 900 enrolled members with serious mental illness or substance‑use disorders have received at least one community support service to date.
Supervisors asked about connections to the county’s behavioral health strategic plan, readiness for Prop 35 (the proposed MCO tax on the November ballot) and jail pre‑release coordination. SunCal representatives said they can help strengthen state grant applications and provide data and funding partnerships; they described ongoing monthly coordination with the sheriff’s department and county partners to align ECM care managers with pre‑release workflows ahead of statewide deadlines.
Why it matters: The presentation highlighted how state CalAIM reforms and local plan activity are changing who provides which services, with the goal of improving access and integrating services across mild, moderate and severe needs. Board members welcomed the emphasis on local partnerships and asked staff to continue monitoring outcomes and funding ramifications for the county’s behavioral health strategy.
