Innovation Approvals – July 2017
YOLO COUNTY
Board and Care Study Project—The County reports a serious shortage of Board and Care facilities for people with the most intense mental health service needs. In order to more fully understand the depth of the issue, the county will conduct a rigorous one year study to collect data and explore the reasons, challenges, and road blocks contributing to the insufficient number of Board and Care homes for the severely mentally ill in Yolo County. The Commission approved this innovative project because it uses a data-driven decision-making approach to address the complex barriers in accessing services for individuals living with serious and persistent mental illness.Total amount approved: $89,125 to conduct a year-long study.
First Responders Initiative—When an individual is in mental health crisis in the county, a multi-disciplinary team of mental health clinicians and law enforcement responds to the call. But what if it’s another emergency where the first responder is the fire department or paramedics? The County plans to use the Innovation funds to expand the multi-disciplinary teams to other first responders such as EMT/paramedics, the fire department, emergency departments, dispatch and homeless outreach staff. The County will also use some of the Innovation funds to establish a Mental Health Urgent Care Center to provide an alternate site to assess an individual in crisis. The Commission enthusiastically approved this project because it is expanding on a successful traditional model in a non-traditional way to determine if more people can receive appropriate and timely treatment. Total amount approved: $1,725,139 for three years.
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