Announcements & Strategic Initiatives

Learn more about the great work our department is doing, and learn about some of the critical initiatives on our horizon.

Announcements & Strategic Initiatives

Strategic Initiatives

Learn more about the great work our department is doing, and learn about some of the critical initiatives on our horizon.

Behavioral Health Legislative Policy Updates

Alameda County WIC 5270 Implementation Overview & Training Materials (August 2025)

Strategic Planning

We invite you to learn more about the many critical initiatives and agreements that are impacting Alameda County’s Behavioral Health Department’s strategic planning and systemwide change efforts.

Expanded Designation of Professionals for LPS Holds

Alameda County has expanded its designation of professionals for the placement and lifting of Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) holds (5150/5585). In the face of an infectious disease pandemic, it became essential that we reduce the time that clients facing mental health emergencies spent in community emergency departments. Therefore, we expanded our training and designation (using an emergency delegation granted by our Board of Supervisors) to include trained professional staff in these emergency departments (Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Eden Medical Center, Stanford Valley Care Medical Center) with the goal of speeding transit to an appropriate receiving facility. As 2020 has brought an increased focus on the role of law enforcement in response to behavioral health crises, this expanded designation served a dual purpose in that it also reduced the frequency with which police would be called solely for the placement of LPS holds.

Forensic Services Redesign Effort

There have been significant changes to the way in which department delivers services to forensically involved individuals.

These changes are driven primarily by an intentional focus on health equity, quality, outcome driven metrics, and on how we support individuals and families who interact with the legal or forensic system across the life span. In order to address these needs, a new system of care was developed by the department: Forensic, Diversion, and Re-entry System of Care.

This system of care includes all of ACBHD’s forensic programs across the age spectrum, and serves individuals who are living in the community, who are currently navigating the legal system, or those who are currently incarcerated as an adult or youth. ACBHD believes that having a single consolidated system of care will prompt better care coordination, help to interrupt the cycle of repeated forensic involvement, and help to focus our supports on prevention and early intervention.

To better understand our efforts, please review the original ACBHD/ HCSA Plan entitled, “A Systems Approach & Plan to Reduce Forensic involvement with Behavioral Health Clients” and the most recent departmental update: Alameda County Behavioral Health Services & Forensic System Redesign Plan Update.

For more information about our newest system of care, please visit our Forensic Services page.

Current Announcements

Archived Announcements