Redding, Calif. – Leaders behind a proposed $206 million mental health campus in rural Northern California say they are disappointed by the state’s decision to deny funding but want the region not to turn the outcome into a political fight.
Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Arch Collaborato, said she understands why the state might view the large-scale proposal as a risk, even if she disagrees with the outcome.
“I am disappointed in the state’s decision not to fund the True North Campus,” said Kimberly Johnson, executive director of the Arc Collaborative. “A project of this scale and ambition, proposed in a region with significant political complexity, is inevitably subject to violations. Combined with the financial level of demand, I believe that these dynamics ultimately present a level of risk that the government cannot bear. I understand. But knowing the decision does not change the need that it does not meet.”
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Recognizing these factors doesn’t diminish the impact on rural communities that rely on expanded behavioral health services, Johnson said.
“What I will not do is let this moment become an ‘us vs. them’ story,” Johnson continued. “Solutions designed in conservative communities in developing states are inherently complex, and it would be easy to frame this as Sacramento’s failed California. Although there is a perceived truth there, it’s not the whole story, and it won’t get us anywhere, not as a community, not as a region, not as a state. My investment in the historic behavior and health of California hopes. That rural communities are Futures are not left on the margins, but are perfectly positioned for rural countries to find better and more innovative solutions as a direct result of their limited resources, and I hope they are ready to listen.
“I have been and remain a supporter of California’s behavioral health reform,” Johnson continued. “But as someone who has spent the last 10 years building and implementing collaborative solutions by working in this area and listening to people affected by stroke, I sincerely hope that California is willing to reflect on what will truly allow all Californians to thrive, not just the hard-to-survive. Leading this initiative has allowed me to support front-line workers, families and mental health workers. And to keep people’s stories about substance use that experience will forever be the greatest pride of my career, and we didn’t do that.
Eric Kim, senior director of strategy and planning at Signature Health Care, said his agency is standing with Arc Collaborative and the North States Coalition because the need for care is acute. He said the project could not proceed without funding from the Behavioral Health Sustainable Infrastructure Program. Still, he said Signature Health Care will continue to look for ways to expand services in underserved communities.
“Signature Health Care is proud to stand alongside The Arc Collaborative and this regional coalition to seek out the services that are so desperately needed by the people of the rural upstate,” Kim said. Kim said. “There’s a gap between the level of need in rural Northern California, from behavioral health access to the workforce, and the infrastructure that exists to meet it, and no single organization can meet it alone. That’s why these efforts and BHCIP funding have created an opportunity that wouldn’t otherwise exist. But without BHCIP funding, True Campus is not committed to funding North. Expanding access to care in underserved communities, and we’ll explore what’s possible.”
Dan Germano, chairman of the Ark Collaborative Board, said the regional reform has been denied funding despite 16 months of planning.
“The ARCH Board of Trustees stands behind the work that this team has accomplished. What has been built in these 16 months, the relationships, the data, the regional alignment, will not be lost because of one funding decision. The ARCH Collaborative will do all we can to continue working as a convener and catalyst for the solutions that this region needs to serve vulnerable and vulnerable people.” “Arch Kolabratov will do all we can to continue to serve as a convener and catalyst for the solutions that this region needs to serve vulnerable people with excellence and collaboration.”
The process brought together 12 countries, generated 69 letters of support and gathered input from hundreds of clinicians, law enforcement officials, families and people living with mental health and substance use disorders, Johnson said.
“To every voice that has trusted us with their part in this dream: We see you, we hear you, and we ask you to keep dreaming. You are not alone,” Johnson said.
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