Who
- Hospital and county leaders in Sonoma County
What
After being closed for six months, Sonoma County’s crisis stabilization unit (CSU) reopened for patient care on Feb. 8.
Following the CSU’s August 2024 closure, hospital and county leaders engaged in a series of conversations about the closure’s immediate and long-term impacts. In the short term, hospitals stepped up to manage the burden of increased emergency department stays for behavioral health patients. However, the closure also underscored deeper challenges — while all parties share the goal of optimal patient care, differing incentives and regulatory frameworks have historically hindered collaboration between county behavioral health partners and hospital leaders.
Despite some difficult discussions, these ongoing conversations have fostered a greater understanding of the systemic challenges and limitations faced by all stakeholders. The hope is that this foundation of mutual understanding will lead to a stronger, more coordinated behavioral health system — especially given the pressures of upcoming legislation and ongoing workforce recruitment and retention challenges.
Takeaway/Next Steps
Continued collaboration between hospitals and county behavioral health leaders remains essential to ensuring sustainable, patient-centered solutions for behavioral health care. The CSU’s reopening is a significant step forward, but long-term partnership and alignment will be key to preventing similar disruptions in the future.
Contact
RVP Meghan Hardin at mhardin@hospitalcouncil.org