DATE:
October 11, 2022
09
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
ESTABLISH THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IMPACT FUND 2.0 (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Behavioral health covers a broad spectrum of mental health and addiction services. In recent years, behavioral health has come into full focus by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) as the issues surrounding addiction and mental health continue to significantly impact our community. In response to this, the Board has taken measures to address those challenges.
In 2019, I brought forward a board letter to create the Behavioral Health Impact Fund in partnership with the City of San Diego, which was seeded with $25 million in funding to spend on impactful programs. This fund has successfully supported innovative behavioral health services and has created traditional housing units, crisis treatment vans, and technology for mental health and addiction services. Now that these funds are almost completely expended, I am proposing to close out the existing fund and establish a new fund wholly controlled by the County, the Behavioral Health Impact Fund 2.0 (BHIF 2.0), which would feature lightly modified criteria that can ensure funds are quickly deployed for priority projects along the behavioral health continuum.
Without funding, some of these necessary projects may never come into fruition, thus leaving the region with serious gaps in care. Establishing the BHIF 2.0 to expeditiously award grants to projects within the continuum of services, including workforce, services, and infrastructure, in line with the recently adopted Optimal Care Pathways (OCP) model, will benefit the region and everyone who relies upon the County for behavioral health support.1
Today's recommendation asks the Chief Administrative Officer to establish BHIF 2.0, and authorize the issuance of requests for proposals for the continuum of services, including behavioral health workforce programs, supports, and/or infrastructure ...
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