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June 2023
Colleagues:
Everything we do at Contra Costa Health (CCH) circles back to living healthy, living safely and living well. Realizing this mission means that we treat not only physical health, but also mental and behavioral health realities.
A3, CCH’s innovative program, aims to address that by providing appropriate behavioral health crisis services to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
Nearly two years ago, the A3 Miles Hall Crisis Call Center answered its first call and dispatched its first team. At that time, A3 was a pilot program operating two days a week with limited hours. We’ve since made significant progress toward making the vision of this program a reality.
A3 now operates seven days a week from 8 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. We have 15 mobile response teams, up from just two in February. Calls are answered in a minute or less, and if an in-person response is needed staff arrive within an hour.
Earlier this year, I presented CCH’s 2023-2024 proposed budget to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. It outlined our goals for the year and provided a guide to help us achieve them.
The A3 program is a key budgetary priority and thanks to several funding streams and resources, including an annual $20 million Measure X investment that starts next month, CCH is able to introduce mental health experts at the front of mental health crises.
Care begins as soon as a call to the A3 Miles Hall Crisis Call Center is answered. Clinical staff provide support, triage presenting issues and determine when an in-person response is necessary. 75% of callers’ needs are resolved via phone.
We’re also working with dispatch and first responders to ensure an integrated system and provide a response level that’s appropriate for any situation. We expect to finalize the dispatch process and training with law enforcement by the fall.
A3 services will continue to expand over the coming months, operating 24/7 by the fall. Looking ahead, we aim to expand treatment destinations and services, and implement a formal evaluation of the program and its impacts.
There has been incredible progress made on this program and I’m proud to work alongside the team making the A3 vision a reality for our community members. I look forward to sharing more in the months to come.
Anna M. Roth RN, MS, MPH
CEO, Contra Costa Health
We are Redesigning our Website!
Our public website, cchealth.org, will be getting a whole new look with improved navigation so people can find what they’re looking for easier.
The new website, which is expected to launch in December, will organize content using intuitive categories such as “Get Care” instead of relying on the department’s organizational chart. It will also be optimized for mobile devices as more and more people visit the website using smartphones or tablets.
The redesign effort is being led by our communications team, who is working with Granicus, a company that specializes in developing websites for public agencies.
For more information, contact Will Harper from the communications team at will.harper@cchealth.org.
Happy Pride Month!
Since 2009, the CCH Pride Initiative has worked to affect change with the goal of a safe, affirming and welcoming Contra Costa County by improving services for LGBTQ+ people and employees.
Here are a few ways we work to ensure LGBTQ+ people and employees feel welcome and are treated with empathy and respect:
- We offer education and services related to Mpox, HIV and STDs, and gender-affirming care in our specialty clinics.
- CCH contracts with community-based organizations to provide mental health services to LGBTQ+ people.
- We have a robust training program for employees and contractors on topics including the importance of culturally competent care, correct pronoun use, collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information, gender-affirming surgeries and hormone management, and PrEP medication.
- Our Noon Conference series launched in March and is ongoing. Upcoming topics include gender-affirming care for adolescents, health disparities of LGBTQ+ people of color, behavioral health and intimate partner violence.
- Throughout June, we’re attending local Pride events across the county.
- We’re launching a social media campaign that will educate people on how to stay safe and healthy this summer.
While Pride is celebrated in June, we work year-round to ensure people in our LGBTQ+ communities have access to culturally and clinically competent care whenever they need it.
If you have questions or want to connect with the Pride Initiative, visit our website.
Chief Deputy Director, Erika Jenssen, spoke during the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ Pride celebration on June 13. The Supervisors declared June 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
CCH celebrates Juneteenth. Short for ‘June Nineteenth,’ Juneteenth commemorates the final act that ended slavery in the U.S. Juneteenth is celebrated by honoring the sacrifices and contributions African Americans have made throughout history.
As we celebrate Juneteenth, we also recognize health inequities that still exist today. CCH is committed to dismantling racism through health programs designed to eliminate health disparities.
Learn more and find resources at cchealth.org/unitedagainsthate.
CCH Juneteenth Events
Continuing Medical Education Committee hosts a Noon Conference Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 16 | 12-1 p.m.
Redwood Grove at the front of the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center campus
African American Health Conductors and Re-entry Conductors Pittsburg Juneteenth
Saturday, June 17 | 12-5:30 p.m.
Pittsburg City Park, 60 Civic Avenue
Contra Costa Health Earns National Achievement Award for Opioid Response Initiative
Contra Costa Health has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for our Opioid Multiagency Response Initiative (OMRI).
Launched in 2020, the pilot program allows Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff to treat people with opioid use disorder in the field by administering buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is a treatment for patients with opioid addiction protects against an overdose.
Most people who received buprenorphine are transported to Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC), a designated opioid-receiving center. They’re then connected to a navigator who guide them through substance use treatment options and provide resources.
As part of this project, EMS personnel also leave behind Naloxone with people who were present at the scene of the overdose as a harm reduction measure to prevent future overdoses.
The program is a collaboration between Public Health, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, EMS, as well as AMR, our local ambulance provider. Read more about it in CCH’s 2022 Annual Report.
Check out this month’s virtual event hosted by CCH’s Wellness Team.
Men’s Health Month – Tai Chi Chaun
SPEAKER: Dr. Randy Sugawara
WHEN: Tuesday, June 29 from 12:10 – 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Zoom
Passcode: wellness
For more information, visit cchealth.org/wellness or email CCHSWellness@cchealth.org.
Congratulations to all the Contra Costa Health employees celebrating milestone anniversaries this month. You are an essential part of the work we do.
Thank you for investing in the health and wellness of our communities.
View This Month’s Milestone Anniversaries
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