The county board of supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday in favor of a proposal to upgrade behavioral health infrastructure, services and staffing to help children and young people up to age 25.
According to board Vice-Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, the framework policy includes:
- Initiating community dialogue about behavioral health challenges and unmet needs
- Leveraging data as a way to evaluate service levels
- Identifying service needs and gaps for youth care
- Establishing a comprehensive plan focusing on the strategic investment of resources for young people
- Ensuring the county has the infrastructure, service capacity and workforce to support children's mental and emotional well-being
- Finding ways to optimize Medi-Cal payments
Lawson-Remer, who made the proposal, said it's "another vital step" to deliver the best behavioral health services possible.
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"We are sharpening our focus on kids as a way to move further upstream in our service delivery," Lawson-Remer added.
According to Lawson-Remer's office, there "is a growing and intense need" for behavioral health services for young people.
Lawson-Remer said that California ranked 51 out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for parents reporting difficulty in getting mental health care. Also, 50% of adults with behavioral health disorders developed symptoms around the age of 14, Lawson-Remer added.
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To improve youth services, the county will use its Optimal Care Pathways data tool, which the Behavioral Health Department created, according to Lawson-Remer's office.
Before supervisors voted Sept. 24, they heard from residents, health care advocates and non-profit organizations speaking in favor of improving youth behavioral health services.
The father of an 11-year-old boy with autism said there are very limited living opportunities for young people like his son once they age out of the school system, which means they end up in emergency rooms or on the streets.
Robin Sales, chairwoman of the county Behavioral Advisory Board, said she was speaking in favor of the framework as a private citizen.
"In this county, we have children who are in desperate need of help on all levels," Sales added.
Another man said he has a child with special needs and sees a lot of families struggling, but this proposal "brings these families hope."
Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas was absent from Tuesday's meeting.
