Who
- Sonoma County Supervisors Susan Gorin, 1st District, and Chris Coursey, 3rd District
- Sonoma County Department of Health Services Leadership
- Be Well Orange County leadership: Marshall Moncrief, founding CEO, and Rosie Zoll, senior project manager
- Sonoma County courts
- Partnership HealthPlan of California
- Hospital Council North Bay members: Kaiser Permanente, Providence St. Joseph, and Santa Rosa Behavioral Health
What
Sonoma County Health Services leadership invited members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Sonoma County courts, Partnership HealthPlan, and Kaiser Permanente, Providence St. Joseph, and Santa Rosa Behavioral Health hospitals to meet at their offices on Oct. 26. Attendees had a chance to learn about Be Well Orange County from founding CEO Marshall Moncrief and discuss whether Sonoma County might pursue a similar initiative.
Behavioral health capacity in Sonoma County is desperately needed and would provide significant relief for patients, their families, and emergency department staff and clinicians. CEO Moncrief applauded Supervisors Gorin and Coursey for their engagement and underscored that robust support from county supervisors is one of the keys to a successful project.
All in attendance agreed that there is interest in pursuing further conversations around the potential for this model in Sonoma County. The California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program – Round 6 funding opens for proposals in early January, and the group would use this money for a Be Well-style project. Tina Rivera, director of health services, committed to getting the group back together before the year ends.
Takeaway / Next Steps
Hospital Council’s engagement in community collaboratives has proven beneficial in similar initiatives in other counties. Similar to work that has been done with community partners on seismic advocacy, closely engaging non-hospital community stakeholders helps to ensure a well-supported and enduring outcome. We will continue to work closely with this collaborative and advocate for additional behavioral health services in all capacities.