Mission Statement

To promote and ensure a healthy community and environment by providing education, outreach, and comprehensive health services in an inclusive and accessible manner.

Department Overview

The Health Services Agency exists to enhance, protect and improve the health of the people in Santa Cruz County. To accomplish this, the Department provides a wide variety of health-related services in the areas of public health, environmental health, behavioral health and health center services.

Department Budget Overview

Budget Summary of Changes

The Health Services Agency (HSA) budget makes important investments in ensuring a healthy community and environment by implementing strategies to support the local rollout of CalAIM (California's transformation of the Medi-Cal system), increasing the number of local beds available to serve children and adults in crisis, elevating readiness to respond to future health emergencies, and collaborating on environmental, public, and clinical health issues for our communities most vulnerable residents. The budget includes scheduled and negotiated salary and benefit increases.

HSA's budget and operational objectives represent continued efforts to improve access to health, improve community partnerships, advance equity, invest in its workforce, and improve facilities infrastructure to better serve County residents. Facilities improvements include an HVAC system in the Homeless Persons Health Project Health Center space, a new Children's Crisis Center (encompassing a program and residential facility), the Freedom Campus Master Plan design, and procurement of Environmental Health laboratory equipment.

The budget recommends the net addition of 6.45 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions funded by federal and State sources, grants, outpatient clinics fees, and hazardous materials and site mitigation fees to improve the department's ability to carry out its mission. A net addition of 4.0 FTE positions is recommended in Administration to increase capacity, including the role of Department Safety Officer. A net addition of 5.00 FTE positions is recommended in Health Centers for expansion of provider and support staff to enable broader access to care, such as expansion of medically assisted substance use disorder treatment and the implementation of Saturday clinics hours at the Watsonville Health Center. A net reduction of 3.8 FTE positions is recommended in Public Health due to unfunding of vacant pandemic-related positions, with additional investments to implement the Future of Public Health grant. A net addition of 2.25 FTE positions is recommended in Behavioral Health to increase administrative support to clinical staff, resulting in greater efficiency for client facing positions. A net addition of 1.0 FTE position is recommended in Environmental Health to provide administrative support.

Supplemental Budget Summary of Changes

Adding a net 3.25 FTE positions as follows: add 1.0 FTE Clerical Supervisor II and delete 1.0 FTE Office Assistant II; add 1.0 FTE Comm Mental Hlth Aide and delete 1.0 FTE Community Hlth Wkr II; delete 1.0 FTE Asst Deptl Admin Analyst; fund 1.0 FTE Unfunded Sr. MH Client Spec I, add as directed by the Board on April 25, 2023, Board Action 1.0 FTE Comm Mental Hlth Aide, 1.0 FTE MH Client Spec I, 0.50 FTE Sr. MH Client Spec I, 0.30 FTE SR MH Client Spec I, and 0.20 FTE Sr. MH Client Spec; and add as directed by the Board on May 16, 2023 0.15 FTE Detention Nurse Spec II and 0.10 FTE Detention Nurse Spec I.

Open the Services Overview or Operational Plan Objectives below for more details.

Total Expenses
$258,694,270
8%
1
Total Revenues
$243,317,697
9%
2
General Fund Contribution
$14,972,237
4%
3
Other Fund Contributions
$404,336
-103%
3
Funded Staffing
766.60
9.7
4
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Operational Plan Objectives
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Footnotes

1 – Indicates change from FY 2021-22 Allowed Budget

2 – General Fund Contribution is the share of General County Revenues (primarily property tax and other local taxes) allocated to each department. Other funds that contribute to this budget are shown on the Budget Details page.

3 – Indicates change from FY 2021-22 Adjusted Funded Positions (including Board-approved mid-year changes as of April 1, 2022).

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This service supports various department objectives