County reports improved access and expanded psychiatric services in custody health

Santa Clara County’s custody health leaders told the Public Safety and Justice Committee that the department has strengthened medical and behavioral health services in custody, increasing early access and expanding treatment options.

Rocio Luna, director of Custody Health Services, introduced the update and turned the presentation to Dr. Yi Chow Wong, who said medical services are now integrated into the acute psychiatric unit so medical and psychiatric providers round together and prioritize care based on chronic disease and acuity. Dr. Wong said the department increased the percentage of patients receiving initial medical contact within 14 days from roughly 50% historically to above 80% on average, often reaching near 90%.

Linda Rodriguez described programmatic changes for the acute psychiatric unit and special management units (SMUs): in‑house psychiatric coverage with 24/7 on‑call support, expansion of the social work team from one to four, more robust treatment planning, improved confidential interview spaces and an increase in structured weekly programming hours for SMUs from 4–5 to about seven hours per week since mid‑2025.

Public commenters and board members asked for more transparent operational data. A representative from a community oversight group asked for counts (e.g., how many ER transfers, hepatitis C cures, RSV/COVID cases) and for more public reporting on outcomes. Supervisors sought clarification about triage practices and whether chronic conditions that require daily medication are seen sooner than the 14‑day benchmark; Dr. Wong said patients are triaged on intake and may be seen in hours or days depending on acuity.

The committee voted to receive the custody health report. Board members requested a confidential March memo with staffing details and signaled interest in ongoing reporting on transition supports (CalAIM, warm handoffs) and related metrics.