Los Angeles CA
12-03-2023 10:25pm

Third Continuation of Report on Mental Health Continuum of Care

Two reports, related to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Beds as well Homeless are scheduled to be presented to the LA County Board of Supervisor's 12/5/23.

Agenda 120523_links.pdf (kc-usercontent.com)

    A 3-yr long lawsuit reached one resolution in September concerning Beds for Mental Health & Substance Use.  The proposal the County suggested included:

    • 600 new beds this year
    • A total of 1,200 by the end of 2024
    • 1,800 by the end of 2025
    • 3,000 by the end of 2026.

    The ultimate settlement was detailed in a report.  Alliance Settlement Fact Sheet.pdf (govdelivery.com) and highlights include

    • The County will develop 300 additional substance use disorder and mental health beds.
    • A condition was "If the City or County obtains significant new funding from a City ballot initiative (United to House L.A.) for the housing and/or services outlined in this settlement or County Measure H extension, the City and County will consider potential amendments to enhance housing and services city-wide or county-wide."
    • Partnership on City/County-owned Land. Under the settlement, the County will continue
      to work with the City in making available to each other appropriate City- and/or County
      owned land, located within the City, to create new interim or permanent housing units as
      mutually agreed by County and City.

    However, the first item on the agenda for the LA County Board of Supervisors is a Report on Continuum of Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Beds.

    The original request for the report was May 2, 2023; which was continued to 9-12-23, then  9-26-23, then 12/5/23.  Supervisor Horvath asked on 12/1/23, in a supplemental agenda, for a continuation until January 30, 2024.   That report was supposed to "focus on the number of current beds, beds in the pipeline and funding for these beds"  180351.pdf (lacounty.gov)

    A 2019 report "Addressing the Shortage of Mental Health Hospital Beds" established the criteria for the report:  142264.pdf (lacounty.gov)

    • Direct the DMH Director to provide an annual status report to the Board of Supervisors with the first report due in January 2021 to include the following information and analysis:
      • The number, type, and cost of beds contracted through the pilot;
      • A projection of the amount of remaining DMH funding available to procure additional beds up to the pilot’s 500 bed target;
      • The impact of the additional contracted beds on the DMH network, including any departmental savings or other cost reduction offsets; improvements in client flow through the network; improvements in care quality and outcomes; and any other pertinent metrics; and 
      • Opportunities for further bed expansion, and the associated costs, needed to reach the pilot’s 500 bed target, of whichever type and mix will help meet DMH’s network needs that considers the work of all County efforts to expand the availability of mental health beds and services.

    Related: Is LA County Affordable Housing Solution too Narrow of a Parameter? | San Fernando Valley News Portal (town.news)

    MEETING TELEVISED: Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 11:00 p.m. on KLCS

    BOARD HEARING ROOM 381B

    Real-time participation includes in-person, by telephone, and online submission of comments.

    Agenda 120523_links.pdf (kc-usercontent.com)

    Telephonic Public Comment
    To listen only by telephone please call (877) 873-8017 and enter the access
    code when prompted: Access Code for English: 111111 Access Code for
    Spanish: 222222.
    To address the Board during the live hybrid meeting please call (877) 226-8163
    and enter Participant Code: 1336503 starting at 9:00 a.m. Please listen
    carefully to the prompts for instructions on providing live testimony to the Board.

    Written Testimony
    Written public comments may be submitted through our website at:
    https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov,     which will become part of the official
    record.

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