Mental health and wellness updates 2022
Earlier this year we declared a mental health crisis in County of Santa Clara. Now as we step into a new fiscal year, we are taking a strong investment into caring for our wellness. This includes 239 more beds, 20 transitional housing units, 402 slots, launching or expanding 9 programs, and 6 new staff members. Here’s a brief list detailing these highlights from the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department’s achievements and allocated investments:
Beds
- Add 20 detoxification beds for adults and youth
- Add 6 crisis residential beds through Department of State Hospital funding
- Add 25 crisis residential Beds for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) in FY 2022
- 50 more crisis residential Beds in FY 2023
- 110 more institutions for mental diseases (IMD) beds by 2024
- Add 28-bed adult residential care facility in San Jose
Housing
- Utilizing MHSA funds for 20 transitional housing units
Slots
- Add 271 Adult/Older Adult outpatient slots
- Add 11 Increased Intensive Outpatient slots dedicated to justice-involved individuals
- Add 100 Full Service Partnership slots, with 50 dedicated to justice-involved individuals
- Add 19 transitional aged youth Full Service Partnership slots
Programs and services
- 10% contract increases for Prevention and Early Intervention & School Linked Services
- 10% services increase for Mobile Response Stabilization Services
- Launched Assisted Outpatient Treatment in February 2021
- Housing Stabilization Program to serve 600 individuals annually will launch Sept. 2022
- Expand Mobile Crisis Services Team at De Anza College for West Valley/North County
- Expand Medicated Assisted Treatment to age 21 at inpatient and outpatient levels
- $2 million to improve mobile crisis services for transitional aged youth
- Launching Behavioral Health Navigator Program in FY 2023
- Launching Trusted Urgent Response Support Team (TRUST) in FY 2023
- Additional $305,000 to expand school-based mental health screening services
- Launched new youth wellness drop-in center to serve transitional aged youth
Staff
- Add 5 Call Center FTEs (Full Time Employees)
- Add 1 Psychiatrist FTE to provide prescription/medication services prior to release from the County’s custodial facilities
This work is on top of our focus to build a stand alone mental health facility to provide care to those in most desperate or dire need of care. Each day neighbors with chronic mental illness or healthy individuals that face a sudden disruption are in need of care to prevent harm to themselves or others. We are no longer going to accept incarceration as care for those suffering. County Administration will be bringing back a timeline that includes community engagement when we return from break. We look forward to developing a truly state-of-the-art facility to give our community the best care possible.
Visit County of Santa Clara's Behavioral Health Services
Visit Nami-Santa Clara County - National Alliance of Mental Illness
If you know someone who may be a danger to themselves - call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Please visit the County Behavioral Health Services Gun Safety webpage for more information about gun safety.