In May of 2016, Shasta County Health and Human Services (HHSA) applied for an Investment in Mental Health Wellness Grant with CHFFA for the purpose of creating a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Redding. On May 26, 2016 CHFFA approved the application for the amount of $565,098.26, which includes funding for property renovation, furnishings and equipment, information technology, and up to three months of program startup costs.
The Shasta County Grand Jury Fiscal Year 2015/2016 report noted, “Access to mental health stabilization services for people in a mental health crisis is lacking in Shasta County. The Grand Jury found that there is a significant gap in care during a mental health crisis…” In 2015, Shasta County admitted 456 adults into psychiatric inpatient care. These 456 adults had a total of 594 hospitalizations which resulted in 5,371 days in a psychiatric inpatient hospital. The average time a person spends in the emergency room, from medical clearance to client disposition determination is 10 hours. Shasta County does not currently have a CSU and as a result, individuals who cannot be stabilized with existing crisis intervention services must receive services from the local emergency rooms or a psychiatric inpatient facility.
One of the goals of the HHSA is to develop a crisis continuum of care to meet the needs of persons at risk of requiring mental health crisis services. The development of a CSU will greatly benefit and expand HHSA’s existing crisis continuum of care by offering a safe, community-based alternative to psychiatric inpatient services. The development of a CSU would greatly help reduce the number of psychiatric hospitalizations and the number of days utilized each year. Utilization of a local CSU would also reduce the trauma of transporting an individual to another county and being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Services delivered by a local CSU would also support the individual’s family during the crisis. A CSU provides up to 23 hours and 59 minutes of care in a secure and protected environment. The program is medically staffed, psychiatrically supervised, and includes continuous nursing services. The primary objective of this level of care is for prompt evaluation and/or stabilization of individuals presenting with acute symptoms or distress.
The CHFFA grant funding provides dollars to develop a CSU and up to three months program startup costs. The on-going cost of operating a four-bed CSU is approximately $2 million per year. HHSA is prepared to provide $1 million in funding per year through the use of Mental Health Services Act funding, state realignment, and Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation. The City of Redding City Council has placed Measure D, a half percent sales tax increase, on the November 8, 2016 ballot for consideration by Redding. If passed, it is estimated that Measure D will generate approximately $11 million annually, of which the City of Redding has said they will dedicate $1 million a year for 10 years toward the operating costs for a CSU. Should Measure D not pass, HHSA will need to come back to the Board of Supervisors to seek guidance on how to proceed.
It is the intent of HHSA to conduct a competitive procurement process to identify a community-based provider interested in providing a CSU in Redding. The CHFFA grant funding will be utilized to develop the program and prepare a location, and provide up to three months startup funds.