Mental Health Crisis Intervention Services…sacramento County’s Shameful Legacy of Neglect

Overall, Sacramento County agreed that the availability of long-term, non-acute 24-hour care is inadequate in Sacramento, and noted that this situation is not unique to this county. The conversion of many privately operated long-term, non-acute 24 hour care programs to other types of care has reduced capacity over the last ten years in Sacramento County and elsewhere. Sacramento has the additional challenge that existing local facilities are utilized heavily by other counties. They also acknowledged the increased impact on law enforcement personnel when interacting with emergency rooms. The County asserted that it has made significant commitments and investments to provide relief and appropriate treatments for the mentally ill; it has developed procedures to reduce the impact on law enforcement personnel when interacting with emergency rooms; and it is embarking on an increased collaboration with health care providers and law enforcement to alleviate those impacts. Sacramento County stated that they have implemented, or plans to implement all of the