A report issued Tuesday by the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury calls the County’s Mental Health Advisory Board “troubled” and says numerous changes are needed for the MHAB to perform effectively.
The 11-member advisory board was established to provide local oversight and advise the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on the county’s many mental health programs and services. More than $14 million dollars in funding is available for mental health services in the county for fiscal year 2015/2016.
The Grand Jury’s investigation found that the advisory board “lacks adequate direction, training, and support to perform its reporting and oversight responsibilities and to advocate for some of our most vulnerable citizens.”
According to the report, Grand Jury members attended four monthly MCAB meetings between August and December 2015 and found that meetings “were not conducted in an orderly manner and did not follow the agenda or any rules of order. No motions were made, nor votes taken on any action items.”
The report took issue with the advisory board’s record keeping, saying that meeting minutes and agendas were rarely posted on the Advisory Board’s website. The report also found that the MCAB was slow to report vacancies to the Board of Supervisors, and that many meetings lacked a quorum.
The report lists eight findings and eight recommendations for change. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Mental Health Advisory Board have 90 days to respond.
April 19, 2016
News Channel 5 KION
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