Amador County - County Administrative Officer Terri Daly and Director of Behavioral Health George Sonsel urged the approval of a Behavioral Health Reorganizational Plan at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. The Health and Human Services Department is feeling the recession more than other branches of government, operating on a $500,000 deficit for the last five years. As a result, Daly and health officials underwent a major consolidation of staff positions. The proposed reorganizational plan came about when, during a recent audit, state officials were surprised that Amador County still works under a traditional 1-on-1 health model and recommended reorganization into a case management type of model. The plan would mean a shift from the traditional model of clinical treatment where the client remains dependent on a professional caregiver, to one where the professional serves as a resource in helping the client achieve independence based on a thorough knowledge of how to manage their recovery.

Sonsel said the proposal will restructure staff in mental health, drug and alcohol recovery and private practice. Severely mentally ill patients will take priority. Sonsel said they will not need the same level of professional staff, cutting down from 7 to 4 therapists. Sonsel stressed that those who were not deemed as severely ill would not be turned away, but the reorganization and cutbacks may mean they would have to wait longer for services. Boitano questioned what kind of affect could take place when services were denied to someone who potentially needs them. Sonsel admitted that there could be some affect, but did not elaborate. The council approved the reorganizational plan unanimously. Details on how the reorganization will improve the department’s deficit and effectiveness will be discussed more in a future meeting. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).