Behavioral Health

Addressing Emergency Department Challenges in Northern Sierra

Who What Hospital Council efforts to sustain rural ambulance services continue. The newly formed coalition of state associations, LEMSAs, ambulance providers, county supervisors, and other entities will move next to do an analysis. While all members of the coalition are aware of the rural ambulance service crisis and its potential to worsen, data and patient […]

Northern Sierra’s New Year Starts with Reflections on Behavioral Health Care  

Who

Behavioral health care, hospital, and county leadership from across California  

What

With its time for reflection and goal setting, CHA’s annual Behavioral Health Care Symposium on Dec. 12-13 was an ideal prelude to the new year. Representatives from 75 hospitals and 20 counties attended, including many from the Northern Sierra. It is clear from many presentations that the behavioral health landscape in California is entirely different than it was five years ago. There is a heightened sense of urgency among stakeholders, significant legislative action, and funding allocated by the state to address behavioral health care needs through counties and state projects. In the words of one speaker, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, “We have come very far and have very far to go.” 

Sonoma County Welcomes Two New Hospital and Regional CEOs

Who

Hospitals with health care facilities located in the city of Berkeley   

What

The city of Berkeley’s Fair Workweek Ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 12. Passed in 2022, the ordinance requires employers in Berkeley to adhere to certain scheduling and notification requirements for shifts, provide predictability pay to all employees, and offer work to existing employees first.  

Delayed Implementation of SB 43 in the South Bay

Who

What

In early October, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 43, which expands the definition of “gravely disabled” in the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act to include substance abuse. The legislation gave counties an option to delay implementation until January 2026.  

5150 Workgroup Holds First In-Person Meeting Since 2020

Who What Hospital Council’s Fresno/Madera/Tulare/Kings section regularly convenes a behavioral health workgroup, locally called the 5150 workgroup, which includes hospital members and county partners. Their recent September meeting marked the first in-person meeting of the 5150 workgroup since 2020 and was held at the Central Valley’s newest behavioral health hospital, River Vista. The hospital began accepting […]

Kern County Behavioral Health Meeting

Who What Hospital Council convened a meeting of Kern County hospitals and Kern Behavioral Health to discuss the process of writing 5150s. The current system allows only for the Mobile Evaluation Team to write holds, which has created bottlenecks. Participants discussed changes coming to the 5150 writing process, including allowing some hospitals to begin writing holds in-house and […]

Sonoma Health Alliance Celebrates Major Funding Milestones

Who What The Sonoma Health Alliance (SHA) is a collaboration between Sonoma County hospitals, Sonoma County Department of Health Services Leadership, and Hospital Council that discusses pertinent health needs of Sonoma County residents, primarily focusing on behavioral health. In late August, SHA stakeholders convened at the Sonoma County Department of Health Services building to discuss […]

Humboldt County Community Collaboration Yields Million-Dollar Grant Award

Who What On June 23, Mad River Community Hospital was notified it had been awarded $12.3 million for the construction of a Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center (BHCTC). The stakeholder group outlined above first met in June 2022 and, over the course of six months, evaluated community need, conceptualized what meeting that need would look like, […]