County Launching New Mental Health Program

Contra Costa County officials today announced that a new program has been established in the county to allow for court-appointed outpatient treatment for individuals with severe mental illnesses.

The Assisted Outpatient Treatment program, which begins on Feb. 1, allows the county to begin implementing Laura’s Law about a year after it was adopted in a unanimous Board of Supervisors vote.

Laura’s Law, a state law which counties may voluntarily adopt, permits counties to use the court system to supervise care for mentally ill people who meet certain legal criteria, county officials said.

It was named after Laura Wilcox, one of three persons killed in 2001 by an untreated mentally ill individual in Nevada County, according to that county’s website.

Alameda, San Francisco and San Mateo counties are among ones statewide that have also chosen to adopt the law.

After the local plan to implement Laura’s Law was passed on Feb. 3, 2015, Contra Costa Health Services’ Behavioral Health Services division developed the Assisted Outpatient Treatment program in partnership with various county offices.

The program includes a referral and hearing process for placing individuals in court-ordered treatment, according to county officials. The individuals have to participate on a voluntary basis.

The county’s health department hired Mental Health Systems, a nonprofit with experience in similar programs in other California counties, to work with county clinicians in providing treatment to referred patients. The program’s participants will work with care providers to develop treatment plans and can receive 24-hour access to services, according to county officials.

County officials said the services may include medication, access to primary health care, substance abuse counseling, supportive housing, vocational rehabilitation and family member support. The program will eventually have the capacity to deliver care to up to 75 participants, county officials said.

“This program is a resource to break the cycle of repeated hospitalization or incarceration that many of our potential patients face,” Behavioral Health Services director Cynthia Belon said in a statement. In the first year, the program will use $2.25 million in state Mental Health Services Act funding and around $400,000 from the county’s general fund, county officials said.

-Bay City News