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San Mateo County is launching a new strategy to provide critical mental health, housing and other services to people with untreated schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders called CARE Court.
Local officials see the new CARE Court program, which will begin locally on July 1, as key to helping vulnerable people get the treatment they need while reducing the homeless crisis.
Established by Senate Bill 1338 and sponsored by Governor Gavin Newsom, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act seeks to end the odyssey of homelessness, short-term psychiatric hospitalization, and incarceration for those suffering from serious, untreated mental illness.
CARE Court connects a person struggling with untreated mental illness (and often substance use issues as well) with a court-ordered care plan for up to 24 months.
Each plan is managed by a care team in the community and may include clinically prescribed individualized interventions with various support services, medications, and a housing plan.
The client-centered approach also includes a public advocate and support to help make self-directed care decisions, in addition to your full clinical team.
The outpatient program is intended to be an intervention for residents with more severe disabilities, allowing them to remain in their community to stabilize, begin to heal, and transition out of homelessness in a less restrictive environment.
“The CARE Court program’s community-based framework aligns with Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ vision to improve care within our community and support recovery with compassion and respect,” said Dr. Jei Africa, director of the County’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
“The ability to access essential behavioral health services in a community setting as opposed to an institutional one helps clients and their families engage in treatment while remaining close to their support system. We see CARE Court as another tool to help people connect with services in their recovery process,” she added.
The court-ordered response under the CARE Act can be initiated by a family member, a mental or behavioral health professional, a first responder, or a person seeking assistance, for example. That can start the process of enrolling someone in the state-funded program.
The July 1 launch puts San Mateo County among the first in California to implement the program ahead of the state-imposed December 2024 deadline.
The Behavioral Health and Recovery Services CARE team can partner with clients and families to answer questions, support the petition process, and assist them toward recovery. To contact the CARE team, call 650-372-6125 or email CAREBHRS@smcgov.org. To read more about the CARE process in San Mateo County, visit: Click here.
Additional support, such as a Family Resource Guide, how to complete a petition, and training materials, can be accessed through the CARE Act Resource Center at care-act.org.
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