SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – A coalition of rural Northern California counties, including Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Yuba, is expected to benefit from a proposed $5 million state grant aimed at helping local governments strengthen the systems that support behavioral health services.
The California Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission announced its intent to award the grant to the Rural County Representatives of California through its Innovation Partnership Fund. The funding will establish the Rural Behavioral Health Action Collaborative, a 30-month initiative focused on helping counties implement behavioral health reforms.
The project was selected through a competitive process that drew 307 applications from across California.
Rather than providing direct behavioral health services, the collaborative will focus on building regional infrastructure that allows rural counties to work together on challenges that often strain smaller jurisdictions. Those issues include workforce shortages, data and technology systems, administrative capacity and coordination among multiple agencies.
RCRC developed the collaborative in partnership with Arch Collaborative, a Northern California organization that works with communities to expand trauma-informed, community-based services and secure funding for rural programs.
The collaborative will use a regional approach that encourages participating counties to identify shared priorities, measure progress and coordinate implementation efforts.
Plumas and Glenn counties helped develop the proposal and will serve as co-chairs of the steering committee overseeing the collaborative.
In addition to Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Yuba counties, those expressing interest in participating include Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. RCRC expects additional rural counties to join as the collaborative develops.
If finalized, the project will continue through December 2028. Organizers said the goal is to create a sustainable regional model that rural counties can continue using after the grant ends while identifying best practices that can be applied throughout rural California.