The HASD&IC Board of Directors convened on May 22. Board Chair and University of California, San Diego Health CEO Patty Maysent, MPH, MBA, officiated.
Special guests Luke Bergmann, PhD, and Nicole Esposito, MD, from the County of San Diego (COSD) Health and Human Services Agency Behavioral Health Services, provided an update and answered questions related to implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 43. SB 43 makes changes to the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, a California law governing involuntary detention, treatment, and conservatorship of people with behavioral health conditions. In January 2024, the COSD began convening a multi-sector planning group to support rapid implementation of SB 43. A readiness timeline of immediate, mid-term, and long-term actions was reviewed with focus on four key strategies needed to support readiness for the changes brought forth by this major update to state law:
- Education and training
- Expanding treatment, services, and supports for those with a substance use disorder
- Establishing alternatives to emergency departments for 5150 holds
- Updating procedures and adding capacity to support the Office of the Public Conservator
Board updates and discussion of regional priorities also included local advocacy, emergency medical services, response to regional disasters, and the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment.
State and federal advocacy priorities were also reviewed and discussed, including the state budget, the managed care organization tax, insurer accountability, seismic reform, the Office of Health Care Affordability, and rural health care (financial instability).
For more information, contact Dimitrios Alexiou, HASD&IC President & CEO, at dalexiou@hasdic.org.