Response to Grand Jury Report Report Title: Custody, Corrections and Other County Facilities Report Date: June 17, 2022

The OES currently uses WIFI for internet communication and needs to be upgraded to fiber optic service. Response: Partially agree The WIFI available to OES was installed approximately 5 years ago. This WIFI is running off fiber, and there are multiple access points in the basement for coverage. Four OES workstations are hardwired for internet service. When other agencies report to OES, they often are required to use WIFI for internet service. Higher speed internet service with more capacity would benefit operations in OES. County IT can work with OES to identify specific coverage issues. If additional access points are required, funding will need to be identified for equipment and cabling.

The current office of the OES lacks sufficient space to effectively prepare for and monitor a natural or other disaster within our County. Response: Partially agree. While a large or prolonged natural disaster or other emergency would certainly require more space for response, the current space is sufficient to carry out day-to-day tasks related to OES.

The current OES facility does not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and retrofitting would be difficult to achieve in the current facility. Response: Agree Finding9 : The current OES facility does not have a sufficient or reliable backup generator with fuel supply storage to provide the needed power in the event of a prolonged power outage. Response: Partially agree. In 2019 when the county experienced the Public Safety Power Shutoffs, the OES facility was able to maintain power with the current generator. For prolonged power outages, the county would need additional fuel to maintain power at the facility. OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES RECOMMENDATIONS

The Shelter security cameras are 18 years old and do not provide clear images. Response: Agree

The Shelter lacks sufficient kennels to house dogs. Response: Agree COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER RECOMMENDATIONS 5

The facilities at the Boatyard do not meet the needs of the HCSO and HCSRP. Areas that need improvement include office space, video surveillance, security systems, parking lot, gates, and fencing. Response: Agree

The Boatyard should be fully weather protected for proper shielding of evidence and equipment from inclement weather. Response: Agree SHERIFF'S BOATYARD RECOMMENDATIONS

Tapes and video recordings, particularly magnetic recordings, are currently stored in cardboard boxes at the evidence storage facility at the Boatyard. Response: Agree EVIDENCE ROOMS RECOMMENDATIONS

Currently the Chief Deputy Coroner also has the responsibilities of the functioning Public Administrator, a complex role that is very difficult to perform adequately while focused on a death investigation. Response: Agree PUBLIC ADMISTRAT OR RECOMMENDATIONS

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury finds a high percentage of inmates at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility have mental health issues and many are violent. This creates a potentially unsafe environment for officers and other inmates. Response: Agree

Officers receive and implement de-escalation training with incarcerated mental health patients. However, these officers are not mental health professionals and lack behavioral health training and certification in counseling. Response: Agree

The County's acute care psychiatric hospital, Sempervirens, does not provide enough space or services to reduce the strain on the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and ensure mental health patients receive appropriate placement and care. Response: Disagree Additional space and psychiatric services are needed in Humboldt. However, without Sempervirens, the correctional facility and other facilities would be more heavily impacted than their current situations.

Neither incarceration at the correctional facility nor a short stay at Sempervirens will address the County's challenge of meeting the mental health needs of inmates. Response: Agree On average, 50% of the occupied beds on Sempervirens are occupied by individuals on LPS (mental health) Conservatorship who are ready to discharge to a stepdown, subacute program. Having locally available sub­ acute programs to place these individuals would allow for more access to acute beds for those who require this high level of care. The Department of Health & Human Services-Behavioral Health (DHHS-BH) Division has contracted with Willow Glen to provide an adult crisis residential program that might be utilized for this sub­ acute population in the coming months. Additionally, DID-IS-BH has contracted with Sorrel Leaf Healing Center to provide a children's crisis residential program that might be utilized for our childhood sub-acute population in the coming months. DHHS-BH is also working on contracting with other sub-acute residential programs in the north state that may also provide some relief. Filling these gaps in the county's crisis continuum 8 of care continues to be a focus for DHH -BH in order to appropriately utilize the resources the county has available to those in need. DHHS-BH continues to prioritize behavioral health services within the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF). The number of DHHS-BH services provided is contingent on the funding allocated to this program through the CPP Committee and the ability to recruit and hire licensed staff. Hm-IBOLDT COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS

Humboldt County is in the process of completing a Facilities Master Plan to guide construction of new County Facilities. Response: Agree

Our community deserves access to an updated and state of the art facility that treats mental health conditions. Respon e: Agree DHHS-BH continues to search for available funding that would support the construction of a new or refurbished location for Sempervirens. Until then, DHHS-BH continues to pay for upgrades to the ever-aging facility at 720 Wood St., to ensure patients have a safe environment in which to receive medically necessal) treatment. SEMPERVlRENS PSYCHIATRIC HEALT H FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS

Many county facilities have various volunteer groups and individual volunteers that support the efforts of the County staff. Response: Agree

Volunteer recruitment may be increased through additional County promotional efforts. Response: Agree

Many of the County facilities lack preventive maintenance which will eventually result in emergency repair at additional cost. The Grand Jury noted peeling paint, ceiling leaks, deteriorating stairways and damaged ceiling tiles at several facilities. Also noted in selected facilities throughout the inspections were partially demolished areas in need of repair, inoperable lighting in rooms and janitorial services that were not scheduled on a regular basis. Response: Agree GENERAL FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS