Healthy and Safe Communities

Summary of Objective Implementation Status

The Department of Health Services (DHS) is launching a technology-based solution to identify gaps in the County’s Safety Net through its recently built artificial intelligence platform, ACCESS-Sonoma (Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self-Sufficiency), which is powered by IBM’s Watson-Care management system.  Phase 6 of ACCESS-Sonoma will add 2 new cohorts to receive “wraparound” government services: (1) Transitional Age Youth, or TAY, and (2) Misdemeanants selected from the County’s current Mental Health Diversion program.

Key Milestone Update

1. DHS received Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on 09/30/2022 in the amount of $1,600,000 to fund this Pillar/Objective.
2. DHS initiated the project scoping meetings with both County departments and IBM Corporation, the primary government contractor for ACCESS-Sonoma.
3. DHS published the first Measure-O Newsletter for the Fall of 2022.

Coordination and Partnership Update

1. DHS hosted a kick-off planning meeting on 11/15/2022, with the following partner-departments in the County:
   • Human Services Department (HSD)
   • Department of Probation (Probation)
   • Information Systems Department (ISD)
2. DHS started Phase 6 contract negotiations with IBM, the primary contractor who is supporting the Watson-Care systems platform behind ACCESS-Sonoma on 11/07/2022.

Community, Equity, and Climate Update

1. DHS is promoting community-based support by partnering with the non-profit Social Advocates for Youth (SAY).
2. HSD will receive input from its contractor, SAY, to create a cohort of Transitional Age Youth, or TAY, to be part of the Phase 6 ACCESS cohort.

Funding Narrative

1. DHS must spend the awarded grant of $1.6 million between 10/01/2022 and 09/30/2023.
   • The grantor is the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
   • SAMHSA Program Officer Helen Ploussiou started meeting with DHS monthly to monitor progress on project implementation.  The first meeting was 10/21/2022.