Working to Expand Access to Mental Health Treatment - San Francisco Bay Times

"I have been working on expanding access to mental health treatment since I became Supervisor. I believe strongly in using conservatorship to care for people who cannot care for themselves, and whose mental illness prevents them from voluntarily accepting care, but the reality is that, without an adequate supply of appropriate facilities, we will be stymied in our efforts to get the hardest-to-treat people off the streets, and out of the jails."

"The Workgroup, which I co-chair along with the Director of the Department of Public Health, includes public and private stakeholders, including UCSF, Kaiser, and Sutter Health. It has met several times already, and its work is being informed by interviews and focus groups with community health providers and other stakeholders. We are aiming to complete our work and provide recommendations to guide future city investment and advocacy by the end of the year."

"The Workgroup comes at an opportune time, as the passage of Prop 1 allows San Francisco to apply for funds to buy and build mental health facilities, while Senate Bill 43 has expanded conservatorship criteria to include people with disabling substance addictions. If you're interested in learning more about our work on mental health treatment beds, feel free to reach out to my staffer on this issue, Adam Thongsavat ([e-mail])."

San Francisco is addressing an acute shortage of residential mental health treatment facilities and placements for people with severe mental illness. Conservatorship is being emphasized for individuals unable to care for themselves when mental illness prevents voluntary treatment, but lack of appropriate facilities limits those efforts. A Residential Treatment and Care Workgroup with public and private stakeholders, including major health systems, has convened and is informed by interviews and focus groups with community providers. The Workgroup aims to deliver recommendations by year-end. Passage of Prop 1 enables funding opportunities, and Senate Bill 43 broadens conservatorship criteria to include disabling substance addictions.

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