The HASC Santa Barbara/Ventura County Office plans to work with member hospitals throughout the region to share best practices in mental health from throughout Southern California counties, as Santa Barbara County seeks to overhaul mental health in the county.

With the receipt of recent grant funds, the county plans to focus on outpatient care with clinics, hoping to defer the mental health population from inpatient services. This would be done through changing the use of currently allocated mental health dollars.

Like many counties, Santa Barbara County is concerned about the loss of funds for indigent care programs. Additionally, under the new funding formula, Santa Barbara is reimbursed at a lower rate and loses funds to serve this population under the Affordable Care Act.

Contact: Audra Strickland

(805) 679-1717, astrickland@hasc.org