Author: Tom Cuddy, Health Agency Public Information Officer


Date:
8/10/2023 11:10:13 AM

THMA and SLO County Health Agency Release New Analisys: Strengthening the System of Adult Behavioral Health.

San Luis Obispo, CA—The County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency and Transitions-Mental Health Association right this moment launched a brand new report that they collectively commissioned from Capstone Solutions Consulting Group that examines the present state of grownup behavioral well being care and supplies suggestions on enhance the supply of grownup psychological well being and substance use dysfunction remedy companies in San Luis Obispo County.

“This report is an important first step in making our behavioral health programs stronger,” said County of San Luis Obispo Supervisor Bruce Gibson. “It gives us a clearer picture of how we’re doing over the entire spectrum of crucial services our residents need.”

The report, Strengthening the System of Adult Behavioral Healthcare in San Luis Obispo County, will function roadmap for the County of San Luis Obispo’s Behavioral Health Department, which can use the findings to develop a five-year strategic plan on how finest to enhance grownup psychological well being care and repair supply to the County’s most weak grownup group members. The 53-page report appears at gaps in present care, areas for enchancment and repair enlargement, in addition to current strengths upon which to construct for future service supply.

“This analysis offers a rich understanding of the behavioral health continuum of care within the County, illuminating strengths, weaknesses, and areas that our team can now concentrate its actions,” stated Health Agency Director Nick Drews. “The report also points out the challenges we have been facing with significant workforce shortages that have been exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic. We are focused on using the findings in this report as a catalyst for change and this analysis will serve as vital input as we act on the behavioral health needs of our community.”

A specific problem was highlighted on the entrance of the report: the workforce scarcity within the behavioral well being area. As Capstone famous, “Competition over the insufficient supply of behavioral health professionals, cost of living in San Luis Obispo County, opportunities for virtual work and reluctance to return to in-person settings have contributed to a problem that significantly affects the ability of SLO Behavioral Health System to fulfill its mission.”

In acknowledging a few of the strengths of the present system, the report highlighted the next:

• Certain medical applications, together with full-service partnerships, are extremely profitable in assembly the total vary of wants of extremely weak psychological well being purchasers.
• Forensic psychological well being applications, together with built-in area response groups and post-incarceration launch companies, are efficient and present distinctive collaboration between legislation enforcement and psychological well being professionals.
• Peer and household assist companies are distinctive each for the information and dedication of workers and for his or her complete assist for people trying to enter and navigate the psychological well being system.

The report cited particular limitations of Behavioral Health companies in San Luis Obispo County, together with:

• The lack of residential remedy applications akin to Crisis Residential Services and Enriched Residential Programs.
• No partial hospitalization for substance use issues.
• Insufficient acute inpatient look after purchasers in psychological well being crises.
• Limited housing choices, together with extra everlasting supportive housing, grownup residential amenities (e.g., board and care houses), and sober residing applications.

“We hope the community responds to this overview with meaningful and beneficial solutions,” stated Jill Bolster-White, Executive Director of Transitions-Mental Health Association. “Ultimately, it takes the entire system, including hospital and private providers, to make this work.”

Recommendations from the Capstone report have been additionally made within the type of near-term, mid-term and long-term options.

Near-term options included suggestions to:

• Redesign the Crisis Stabilization Unit as an Urgent Care Center.
• Capitalize on new Peer Certification by including new job classifications.
• Expand built-in bodily and psychological well being care by way of formal and casual partnerships with native well being suppliers.

Long-term options included suggestions to:

• Invest in a disaster residential remedy program.
• Expand substance use companies by growing a partial hospitalization program in current outpatient applications.
• Add an extra Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) that ought to settle for non-public insurance coverage in addition to Medi-Cal.

A full copy of the report and govt abstract might be discovered right here. The report is being shared with SLO County’s Board of Supervisors, all collaborating stakeholders, and native companies and personal companies offering healthcare.

ABOUT TMHA

Transitions-Mental Health Association (TMHA) is a nonprofit group devoted to eliminating stigma and selling restoration and wellness for individuals with psychological sickness by way of work, housing, group and household assist companies. We function over 40 applications at places all through San Luis Obispo and North Santa Barbara counties. The emphasis of our revolutionary companies is to show very important impartial residing expertise and assist construct a framework for group re-entry by way of private empowerment and fingers on expertise. For over forty years, TMHA has been devoted to offering work, housing, case administration and life-skills assist to teenagers and adults with psychological sickness whereas providing assist, assets and schooling for his or her family members. For extra info, go to www.t-mha.org.

ABOUT SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY HEALTH AGENCY

The Health Agency’s mission is to supply a broad array of companies important to the well being and well-being of these residing in and visiting San Luis Obispo County. Its imaginative and prescient is to make sure that our residents and guests are wholesome and have entry to companies important to take care of optimum well being. The Health Agency is comprised of the Behavioral Health Department, the Public Health Department, the Animal Services Division and the Office of the Public Guardian. It is the biggest division in San Luis Obispo County Government with greater than 800 staff and an annual working finances of $150 million. For extra info on the applications and companies the Health Agency supplies, go to https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Health-Agency.aspx.

ABOUT CAPSTONE SOLUTIONS CONSULTING GROUP

With distinctive companies and distinctive expertise, Capstone helps human service organizations (and entire communities) enhance their efficiency and maximize social influence by offering the transformational instruments and methods wanted to boost operations and extra successfully navigate and impact social change. Capstone brings collectively an exceptionally proficient, extremely skilled group of senior-level specialists from the general public sector, non-profit and for-profit entities, and the world of academia … all of whom are dedicated to making use of their extremely reputed expertise and prior expertise to these in want. For extra info, go to www.capstonesolutionsconsulting.com.