Facing a budget squeeze made even tighter by the October wildfires, Sonoma County’s mental health division is limiting its staffing levels in all but four of its 37 programs by cutting back on slots for temporary workers who often perform the duties of full-time employees.
The anticipated budget gap comes largely from a change in the way the state provides certain funds for mental health services, and it existed even before the destructive fires placed an additional strain on county resources, according to Barbie Robinson, the county’s health services director.
The operations change came as a surprise Friday to Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Shirlee Zane, a longtime advocate for mental health services. Zane was aware of the Behavioral Health budget strain but not the extra-help reduction, she said.
Zane said she was particularly troubled by the extra-help limitations in light of the board’s recent creation of a county office dedicated to wildfire recovery and resiliency for at least five years.
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