Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Colleen Chawla, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Jei Africa, Director, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
Subject: Funding Commitment for Horizon Services' Palm Recovery Center under BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Approving a funding commitment of $2,000,000 from San Mateo County Opioid Settlement funds as 10% local match funds for Horizon Services, Inc.'s Palm Recovery Center project application under the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 2: Unmet Needs; and
B) Authorizing the Chief of San Mateo County Health, or designee(s), in consultation with County Attorney, to negotiate and execute all agreements, award letters, and other documents necessary and appropriate to accomplish the purposes of this resolution.
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BACKGROUND:
On May 21, 2025, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) experienced the closure of its 14-bed Sobering Center, leaving a critical gap in the local substance use continuum of care. This closure has impacted law enforcement, emergency departments, and community members seeking safe sobering and stabilization options. Meanwhile, Palm Avenue Detox, a longstanding provider operated by Horizon Services, Inc. (Horizon Services), faced facility and sustainability challenges under the American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) Criteria's Fourth Edition, which requires residential withdrawal management/detoxification services to be incorporated into residential treatment to facilitate seamless "step-downs" to lower levels of care. CalAIM's fee-for-service payment reform changes also necessitate economies of scale and efficiencies not available to smaller facilities. As a result, the County and Horizon Services identified the need for a new, integrated campus facility ...
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