Council Connect Articles

SB 43 Work Progresses in San Mateo, Santa Clara Counties

Who

  • Leaders in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties 
  • San Mateo Medical Center and San Mateo Mobile Crisis Unit

What

Santa Clara County (SCC) has kicked off a workgroup to implement Senate Bill (SB) 43 (2023), which expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). In late March, the county behavioral health department will update the SCC Board of Supervisors on its plans for this effort. 

Nearby, the San Mateo County SB 43 workgroup has developed an implementation model that outlines the management of a patient who is either placed on a hold in the community by the Mobile Crisis Unit or has undergone an evaluation in a hospital’s emergency department (ED).

Beginning April 1, San Mateo County plans to test this model with a few identified individuals who frequent the San Mateo Medical Center or the Mobile Crisis Unit. If the model is successful, there is a desire to adopt it countywide before the Jan. 1, 2026, implementation deadline.  

Takeaway/Next Steps

Hospital Council will continue to participate in both workgroups to better understand impacts to hospital EDs when a patient who is placed on a hold needs a high level of care for SUDs.

Contact

RVP Jo Coffaro at jcoffaro@hospitalcouncil.org