Home Contra Costa County Contra Costa County Health Services Launches Community Behavioral Health Crisis Response Initiative

Contra Costa County Health Services Launches Community Behavioral Health Crisis Response Initiative

by ECT
Contra Costa Health Services

Working in partnership with cities across Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) has launched a comprehensive review of existing behavioral health crisis response services to develop a vision for how to connect residents with the most appropriate resources where and when they are needed.

In close collaboration with city leaders through the Contra Costa Public Managers Association, community stakeholders, service providers and staff from across the county participated in a multi-day workshop to identify current resources and next steps. Workshop participants included those working in crisis response, community-based organizations, schools, police and dispatch, as well as clinicians and persons and family members with lived experiences. The team spent the past two weeks observing, analyzing and interviewing subject matter experts and looking at data about the current state of crisis response in Contra Costa County to develop a vision for the future and identify areas for improvement.

The public is invited to hear the key findings and recommendations during a public report to be shown live on Contra Costa Television (CCTV).

  • When: Friday, November 20th at 10 am
  • Where to find CCTV: Comcast Channel 27, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, Wave Channel 32

The presentation will be rebroadcast on Saturday, November 21 at noon and 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 22 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The event can also be seen online at contracostatv.org during those scheduled times.

The process prioritized these areas of focus for the next steps:

  • Identifying a single number to call for behavioral health crisis response
  • Establishing a mobile crisis 24/7 response
  • Evaluating non-police mobile crisis team composition
  • Identifying alternate destinations for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis

Using the Lean Process Improvement Model, the team will spend the next several months planning for rapid improvement workshops to test potential strategies based on the four areas of focus. Results of this process will be presented to the Contra Costa Mayors Conference in February 2021.

For more information on CCHS Community Crisis Response, visit cchealth.org/bhs/crisis-response.

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2 comments

Robert C. Nov 20, 2020 - 6:34 am

Perhaps Contra Costa Health Services should drop the bureaucratic jargon and state simply and directly what it means by “behavioral health crisis.” Didn’t anyone there learn the basics of effective writing in elementary school?

zeecom Nov 23, 2020 - 11:33 pm

A big question is just where there ARE resources in the county. CCRMC is always full, John muir has a inpatient program that will only take those with guaranteed insurance or payment. The outpatient services are in the same shape. Counselors and social workers caseloads are so high, most people report never being able to get an appointment or even reach them without leaving messages that go unanswered for weeks. For the homeless this means no treatment or hope, so they quit trying.

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