The Outcomes

Year One Update (July 2024-June 2025)

(Click here to download a PDF of the Year One 2024-2025 Report.)

In Fiscal Year 2024-25, the Behavioral Health Department served over 3,000 individuals with quality, compassionate care. The department met 19/20 goals resulting in a 95% achievement rate. 

Prevention and Wellness:

  1. Celebrated 40-year anniversary of the school-based service club Friday Night Live.
  2. Behavioral Health was awarded $141,500 for Youth Traffic Safety Initiatives to support educational programs and campaigns around substance use prevention and driving.
  3. Friday Night Live Program raised over $7k for youth scholarships at the annual Reindeer Run, helping maintain programing and partnership with local school districts in the County.
  4. Utilized funds from the Opioid Safety Settlement to support “Fentanyl is Forever” campaign to increase education on the prevalence of fentanyl, promote Naloxone use, and provide community members with resources and pathways to substance use treatment services.
  5. Hosted over 200 community members for the annual Mental Health Awareness Month Bike Breakfast to leverage public interest and expand informational campaigns around mental health and crisis services in SLO County.
  6. Hosted two events- the “Human Library” in partnership with Cuesta College and the “Out of Darkness Walk” in partnership with Cal Poly, maintaining relationships with local Colleges to increase education on the prevalence of mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders as well as promote local services and resources.
  7. Partnered with County Libraries to host bi-lingual Awareness Gallery events in three cities to raise awareness and community engagement around mental health and substance use prevention.

Community Services:

  1. Behavioral Health hosted an “All Staff Day” training to support personnel in their work and train on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices in hopes to close gaps in access to BH community services among key underserved populations and communities.
  2. Behavioral Health hosted the first ever Provider Collaborative, a quarterly event that supports opportunities for joint projects, collaboration, and information sharing with other agencies actively involved in community outreach and community engagement efforts in SLO County.

Intensive Outpatient Services:

  1. Expanded two new Youth Mental Health Clinics in Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo, updating facilities to integrate BH services and enhance coordination of whole-person care.
  2. Restructured the Behavioral Health clinic in Paso Robels to provide integrated co-occurring services to adults with mental health and substance use disorders, creating a model for other clinics to integrate in the new fiscal year (Atascadero).
  3. Collaborated with local partners to host Overdose Awareness Day event, to remember lives lost, increase education on the prevalence of substance use and co-occurring disorders and promote services and resources.
  4. Expanded facilities and services through the SLO Sobering Center, which served over 500 people with rapid detoxification, helping them find a pathway to treatment and recovery.

Crisis Services:

  1. Led a State-wide Suicide Prevention Summit for Healthcare providers, building community understanding of crisis response efforts.
  2. Implemented NaloxBox program which aids in community overdose prevention by supplying free Naloxone and crisis response tools at 20+ SLO County community access sites.
  3. Created a new Access and Crisis Services Division to broaden the crisis continuum, bolstering capacity and staffing to reach individuals in dire need of mental health care.
  4. Expanded the Community Action Team and centralized efforts within the new Access and Crisis Services Division to enhance interagency collaboration focused on providing efficient access to crisis services.

Intensive Residential Services:

  1. Expanded residential treatment through Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, adding 18 beds at three facilities to individuals facing homelessness with severe behavioral health issues
  2. Behavioral Health Justice Services Division collaborated with partners to implement CARE Court in SLO County, increasing access to long-term behavioral health for eligible individuals under SB 1338 laws.
  3. Accepted award of $22 million to develop an additional Psychiatric Health Facility and Crisis Residential Treatment program for adults and youth (the first ever in SLO County).