LOYALTON — On Tuesday, Sierra County Director of Behavioral Health Sheryll Prinz-McMillan updated the board on the status of the California-mandated Mobile Crisis Unit (MCU), a vehicle that is supposed to be on call 24/7 for behavioral health emergencies. Although the MCU was supposed to go into effect on July 1st, it is not yet fully operational.
The Behavioral Health Department is struggling to staff the MCU with qualified personnel 24/7, which, according to Prinz-McMillan, is also a challenge for other small California counties in the region. It seems that an effort is brewing to push back against the state’s requirement for 24-hour coverage in favor of a daytime program, using telehealth as an alternative after hours.
When asked about the proposal, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) said a telehealth program would not be an acceptable solution. Prinz-McMillan, however, believes the county may have to “do something that works rather than something that doesn’t fit the county at all.”
A meeting with DHCS representatives is being organized to determine possible next steps. Supervisor Lee Adams suggested that they meet in Alleghany so that on the drive, they could see just how challenging such services can be to fulfill in a sparsely populated and difficult-to-traverse county.
Prinz-McMillan says she took courage from hearing that partner counties are also considering similar pushback. In the meantime, she says that Behavioral Health will continue to try to respond to any crisis to the best of its abilities.
A U.S. Forest Service water pump providing water to the Cal-Ida campground and Indian Valley was out of service for more than a month before the Forest Service could replace it. Tom Parrack, Yuba River District Ranger, told Supervisor Lee Adams that the outage was caused by a general lack of awareness of the pump’s degraded state, combined with regional forest approval being needed for purchases exceeding $800.
Supervisor Adams was considerably upset by how long the process took, noting that a private landlord would likely face serious legal consequences for such an oversight. Adams brought up the issue at the previous board meeting, saying the Forest Service should have admitted an emergency and had water service back up within 48 hours. Parrack, however, suggested that the water system was shared and that Indian Valley Outpost had some responsibility in maintaining the pump.
After a lengthy discussion, Loyalton Elementary School Principal Staci Armstrong was appointed to the Sierra County Children and Families Commission. Her alternative, Leslie Parnell, recently received a Masters Degree in Counselor Education at the University of Reno and works as a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern at Quest Counseling in Reno.
Although the board praised Parnell for her enthusiasm and passion, they decided Armstrong would be the best choice due to her long-term integration with the community. Parnell notably does not live within the county, but the position has no residency requirement. The board is considering expanding the board to make space for Parnell.