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Long wait times, staff shortages and other issues at county-run behavioral treatment centers have led the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to take a closer look at expanding mental health services.
The board is now getting monthly updates on mental health and substance abuse services, and on Tuesday, this month’s report from the county’s Department of Behavioral Health Services (BHSD) said new care beds could be available next month.
By early November, the county expects to maintain eight acute care beds designed to treat patients with conditions such as methamphetamine-threatening mental illness.
An adolescent psychiatric facility is also in the works. The new facility on South Bascom Street will add 77 inpatient beds for various levels of need. Occupancy expected in October 2024.
The county is working to expand its sub-acute care facilities, which provide long-term acute mental health services. These are the next step for patients leaving acute care, but often lead to longer stays because, according to the report, “patients cared for in these facilities have special needs that prevent them from living independently in the community.”
BHSD said in its report that there is a “severe shortage” of sub-acute mental health care facilities, and that Santa Clara County has 256 such beds in its network of providers.
The county on Nov. 15 expanded its contract with Crestwood Center San Jose, a behavioral health facility, to add 20 sub-acute beds for county use. In July 2023.
But this does not mean that new patients will be admitted to those beds immediately. Positioning continues based on flexibility. That means a patient must vacate their place in the facility before a new patient can be seated.
According to BHSD’s continuum of care, residential treatment for adults can take up to 24 months to complete, which is why the department is trying to expand the program.
Licensed residential treatment facilities must meet standards of care from the California Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division and Department of Health Care Services and can be difficult to afford, especially in the Bay Area where housing and utility costs are high.
A residential contract is ongoing, however. A project at 650 S. Bascom Ave is leased and under renovation. Upon completion, Momentum for Mental Health will operate 28 residential treatment beds at the site.
BHSD Director of Facilities and Fleet Jeff Draper said he expects the project to move quickly in the next three months, but the facility is not expected to begin operations until April 2023.
The latest development from the report 988 ADNational Three-Digit Non-Sudden Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network Callers can call for compassionate support and connections to local services if they or a loved one is experiencing mental health issues.
Since the introduction of 988, BHSD has been able to reduce local caller waiting time from 15 minutes to 8-10 minutes, he said.
But the regulators have not been impressed with how the hotline has been performing so far, calling services “inconsistent”.
“Sometimes there’s a disconnect between what we believe we offer and how it’s delivered by consumers,” said Susan Ellenberg, vice president of the Board of Supervisors.
Ellenberg called for the hotline to be upgraded as long as the public is comfortable calling for any feedback on the effectiveness of 988.
BHSD will offer additional mental health and substance abuse services in November.
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