New research from the Steinberg Institute assesses the state of behavioral health crisis care in California
People with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorder (SUD) deserve a behavioral health system built for recovery, dignity, and hope at every stage of need.
But today, too many people experiencing behavioral health crises are sent to traditional destinations such as Emergency Departments (EDs), where they wait without receiving appropriate care. Even with new statewide investments, California still faces serious gaps in its crisis care infrastructure — gaps that leave far too many people routed to emergency departments, jails, and homelessness instead of treatment.
To help policymakers, providers, and stakeholders better understand the state of crisis care in California, our research team released a report assessing crisis care capacity across the state. The report highlights:
- A comparison of capacity across every level of care in California — including crisis receiving chairs and short-term crisis beds
- How different counties assess and place people diagnosed with a serious mental illness
- The workforce and implementation barriers that prevent crisis teams and facilities from operating at needed capacity
- The structural gaps in our crisis system that push people toward hospitalization, incarceration, or homelessness instead of treatment
- Recommendations for targeted investment to build a more equitable, person-centered system of care
→ Download the report here.
Our companion Infographic, Rebuilding the Continuum of Care, distills the main findings and recommendations of our analysis. View the infographic here.
Together, these resources offer a comprehensive look at the state of crisis care in California and the opportunities ahead to build a system rooted in recovery, dignity, and timely access to the right level of support.
About the Steinberg Institute Research Fellowship
This report was prepared under the mentorship of the Steinberg Institute by Andrea Elser – a Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health (MD/MPH) graduate student from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. This project was completed as part of her MPH practicum, where she broadly focused on the Institute’s Vision 2030 initiative, particularly reducing the number of people in behavioral health crises entering hospital emergency departments.