How to resolve AdBlock issue? Lake County Behavioral Health Services announced Monday that it is launching the county’s CARE Court, which aims to divert individuals that are struggling with specific schizophrenia and other psychotic spectrum disorders away from the criminal justice system and into a civil court process that will provide either voluntary or court ordered treatment, stabilization and other support services for individuals in need.
The CARE Court program is designed to assist individuals aged 18 and older who meet specific health and safety criteria by offering court-ordered treatment, services, and housing plans to those who may otherwise struggle with homelessness or become involved with the justice system due to specific untreated psychotic disorders.
A care team from Lake County Behavioral Health Services will work together with individuals to coordinate treatment, housing support, and other services to ensure that individuals with severe mental health conditions receive the care and support they need.
Behavioral Health said the CARE Court initiative is a critical step in addressing the needs of the county’s most vulnerable residents, including those who may not otherwise seek voluntary treatment.
The CARE Court collaborative effort between Lake County Behavioral Health Services and the Lake County Superior Court System will create new pathways for success for Lake County residents that are facing unique and severe mental health challenges, Behavioral Health said.
Petitions for CARE Court can be filed by family members, roommates, health care providers, clinicians, first responders, county behavioral health staff and others as specified in the law.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the legislation enacting CARE Court in September 2022.
The bill that created CARE Court, SB 1338, was authored by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton).
CARE Court has been phased in across California’s 58 counties in two cohorts.
The first cohort, which began on Oct. 1, 2023, included Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and San Francisco counties. California Health and Humans Services reported that Los Angeles County is in the second cohort but has implemented its program early.
Lake and the other 49 counties in the second cohort were required to implement their programs by Dec. 1, Health and Humans Services said.
For more information regarding the CARE Act, please visit the California Health and Humans Services CARE Act information page at https://www.chhs.ca.gov/care-act/.
