Here’s a recap of two notable items from Tuesday’s Board meeting.
Improving Medical Care in the County Jail
On Tuesday, the Board approved a new contract for medical services in the county jail. For more than two decades, Shasta County has worked with Wellpath to provide these services. Over the next few months, we will transition to a new provider, Mediko.
This change comes with a significant cost increase. The County has budgeted ~$5.5 million this year for jail medical services this fiscal year. Under the new contract, costs will average about $8.3 million per year over the next three years, largely funded by the General Fund.
Because of that increase, I pulled the item off the consent agenda so we could discuss it publicly and make sure the investment is justified.
There are 3 key reasons I believe the investment is justified and ultimately, will save us money:
1. Much higher clinical staffing.
Clinical staffing in the jail will increase from about 13 to roughly 26 positions — nearly doubling. This should significantly improve access to care for inmates and reduce situations that escalate into hospitalizations or in-custody deaths, which we unfortunately saw spike over the past year.
2. A provider with a strong legal track record.
Mediko has been providing correctional healthcare services for about 30 years. While they are new to California, they reported that they have never had a judgment issued against them for negligent or inadequate care. That’s notable because counties across the country — including ours — face significant litigation related to jail medical issues. If improved care reduces lawsuits and liability exposure, that could offset some of the increased cost.
3. Initiating treatment for opioid addiction.
Today, if someone enters the jail already receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction, the jail will continue that treatment. But we do not initiate MAT for individuals who were not already on it.
Under the new contract, the medical provider will initiate MAT when clinically appropriate. This matters because fentanyl and opioid withdrawal can be extremely dangerous. Providing treatment can improve health outcomes inside the jail and also improve the chances that individuals stay in recovery once they leave custody.
Overall, this is a major investment. But if it improves care, reduces hospitalizations and litigation, and helps more people recover from addiction – as it is designed to do – it will be worth the investment.
Community Connect: Helping Families Access Services
The Board also approved a ~$385K agreement with the Shasta County Office of Education to continue the Community Connect program.
This program works through local schools. When a student or family needs help — whether that’s housing support, food assistance, behavioral health services, or something else — the school can refer them to a Community Connector who helps connect them to and navigate available services.
Historically, the County has funded part of the program through the Mental Health Services Act, which requires counties to invest in prevention and early intervention programs for young people.
The results so far have been encouraging:
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About 80–85% of families referred actually connect with a Community Connector
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Of those who connect, roughly 80–85% are successfully linked to services
That’s a very strong engagement rate and shows the value of meeting families where they already are — in schools.
This agreement also allows the Office of Education to continue working with schools that chose not to participate in the state’s Community Schools program, which has been a topic of debate locally.
This is a good example of collaboration between the County and the Office of Education to make sure children and families can access services that already exist but are sometimes hard to navigate.
Prop 1 Behavioral Health Infrastructure Update
On Wednesday, the State announced its Rond 2 Awards for Proposition 1 Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) funding. While the state did not fund Shasta County’s True North Behavioral Health Campus proposal, I am very proud of the work that went into the application, the vision that drove the effort, the needs identified, and the partnerships that were formed. True North is designed to create a coordinated behavioral health campus where people can move between crisis stabilization, treatment, and recovery services — something Northern California urgently needs, and we will continue to work towards.
At the same time, I am very encouraged by Shasta County’s showing for the Prop 1 funds. Prior to Prop 1, there were 5 rounds of BHCIP funding and Shasta County received none of it. In the 2 Prop 1 rounds, 7 Shasta County organizations applied and 4 received awards:
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His Ideas / Children First: Over $1M to the Bridge to Wellness Hub in Redding, a 15,000-square-foot facility that will integrate prevention services, behavioral health care, substance use disorder treatment, coordinated care, and foster care supports in one location.
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Family Dynamics Resource Center: $24M to build a new youth behavioral health facility that will include crisis stabilization beds for homeless youth, residential treatment for substance use disorders, and peer respite services.
Together with the funds received by Good News Rescue Mission and Visions of the Cross in Round 1, these projects represent meaningful progress in strengthening the behavioral health system in the North State.