Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Restart Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RDA: Restart program saw 45 referrals July–Oct 2025; staff cite contact, housing barriers
Summary
Resource Development Associates presented a semi‑annual Restart program report to the Merced County BHRS planning council showing 45 referrals (43 individuals) from July–Oct 2025, high pending rates linked to contact and housing instability, and that two of nine accepted clients attended an initial appointment.
Dina and Julia of Resource Development Associates (RDA) presented the semi‑annual Restart program progress summary (July–Oct 2025) to the Merced County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services planning council. The presenters described Restart’s "no wrong door" approach to outpatient treatment and supportive services for adults involved with the legal and behavioral health systems and reported 45 referrals for 43 unique individuals during the reporting window.
The RDA presenters said two‑thirds of referrals still come from criminal legal partners, with 53% of incoming referrals originating from Probation. RDA reported that 53% of incoming referred individuals were reached within seven days, two of nine accepted referral individuals attended their initial appointment, and 78% of incoming referrals remained pending—largely because staff could not reliably reach referred people who frequently lack stable phone numbers and housing. Dina told the council that Restart remains fully staffed overall but that two clinician vacancies persist and staff are sometimes reassigned to other programs with more urgent needs.
RDA also described data‑monitoring challenges: recent changes to the DHCS timely access data tool required staff to learn new error‑checking procedures. Presenters said they are exploring improvements to referral logs, launching a Spanish‑speaking treatment group once enough participants enroll, and developing a peer support group. Council members pressed for clarity on demographic gaps and question wording: Sharon Jones and Kit Chang noted that disability questions on the BHRS demographic form may undercount mental‑health‑related disabilities, and Dina said the final annual report will include missing subgroup details that the mid‑year summary highlighted only at a high level. Matthew Huang, identified in the meeting as the Restart analyst, confirmed the team has data on African American and LGBTQ+ clients.
The presentation included client testimony excerpts expressing appreciation for program staff and services; RDA said quarterly client satisfaction surveying is now in place. RDA plans to present a full annual report and evaluation summary to the MHSA board in August.
