Who
- Arcata Police Department
- Humboldt County Sheriff
- Waterfront Recovery Center
- Humboldt County Health & Human Services
- California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
- Mad River Community Hospital
- Providence St. Joseph Health, Eureka
- K’ima:w Medical Center
- Open Door Health
- Humboldt County Community Safety Engagement Team
- North Coast Emergency Medical Services
- Yurok Potowat Health Village
What
On July 8, members of the Humboldt County hospital leadership group, in addition to many county, local law enforcement, tribal health, and other community health care representatives, joined a Zoom meeting to discuss behavioral health and substance use issues in Humboldt County. Following Hospital Council’s June convening of a smaller group, the expanded list of stakeholders is encouraging for the future prospects of both behavioral health care and substance use disorder care in the county. Three workgroups — Law Enforcement, Crisis Stabilization/Triage, and Workforce Development — will carry forward much of the work of this collaborative. The group will also consider Verily’s OneFifteen project in Ohio and whether such an undertaking may be viable locally.
Takeaway / Next Steps
The three workgroups are currently forming and plan to convene within the July/August time frame. Their goal is to collectively identify some early “wins” in their subject areas and agree on a plan to pursue those initiatives. The larger group will convene virtually at semi-regular intervals to hear updates on the project plan, and in person when possible, to maximize collaboration.