Community members speak out during tense mental health advisory board meeting

Several Shasta County community members impacted by the summer closure of the Sunrise Mountain Wellness Center in Redding spoke last week during a regularly scheduled mental health advisory board meeting.

Community member Shannon DePriest told the Mental Health Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board, also known as MHADAB, that the drop-in mental health center was one of the best things that happened to her after almost losing her life.

“Sunrise gave me a sense of purpose again,” DePriest said. “I got the privilege of helping out in the kitchen cooking for everyone on more than one occasion, and this was an honor because it was one little thing that made me feel that maybe one day I can be capable of something more again.

“Since Sunrise has closed I have felt a void in my life and don’t know where to go on days that I need a boost of self-esteem or to find a sense of purpose,” DePriest added.

She was among several community members who expressed concern that the county no longer has a contract with Kings View, a nonprofit service provider that used to operate Sunrise in Redding. The center provided free drop-in services without income qualifiers, serving as a gathering place for those experiencing mental health challenges and needing peer support and social opportunities. 

The nonprofit, which still works in about two dozen counties statewide, withdrew from its work with Shasta County this summer, citing ongoing concerns with delayed contract execution along with a history of delayed payments. The county issued a statement at the time, saying it had paid the nonprofit “all contracted eligible expenses.”

At MHADAB last week, Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency Director Christy Coleman responded to former clients’ concerns by saying Kings View “chose to end its contract” with the county and claiming that the county already provides the same services that clients used to receive at the Sunrise center. 

“We are doing everything we can to make sure clients do not fall through the cracks,” Coleman added. “Our mental health team has contacted every single client. If somebody is in need of services, we are here to help.”

Former clients who spoke with Shasta Scout after the meeting contradicted Coleman’s claims, saying they had not been contacted by county staff. Coleman’s terse response to clients was just one small part of a meeting that was filled with moments of tension between community members, MHADAB members and county staff. 

HHSA staffer Erin Dooley, who chairs the meetings, worked to move the group efficiently through its evening agenda. But she was repeatedly interrupted both by board members who sought more in-depth information on important topics on the agenda and by community members with similar questions or concerns.

Some questions came in response to a scheduled report from Behavioral Health and Social Services Director Cindy Lane, who said she didn’t feel the need to present on the pages of data presented in the agenda packet, calling instead for any questions. 

When one MHADAB member asked about changes in some of the data over time, Lane responded that she might be able to provide an answer but not until next year. Pressed on how she would locate the data to respond to the MHADAB members’ question, Lane admitted she didn’t know, deflecting to another staffer who offered little more specific information. 

Lane’s decision not to provide a high-level overview of the behavioral health data in her director’s report, coupled with her inability to respond to some of the questions posed by the board, prompted one MHADAB member to speak out angrily saying there had been three suicides and a fatal overdose in the Burney area over the last three weeks — data Shasta Scout has not yet confirmed — and noting the need for improved mental health care in the Intermountain region. 

Tense moments during last week’s meeting reinforced an ongoing dynamic between HHSA staffers, advisory board members and the public. MHADAB is intended to serve as a bridge between the public and county officials, providing oversight and monitoring of HHSA’s behavioral health programs to ensure they meet resident needs. But some worry that the board more often provides a rubber stamp for HHSA decision making. 

Concerns came up again mid-meeting after a presentation by HHSA Deputy Director Bailey Cogger about changes to the county’s regional drug Medi-Cal delivery system. Cogger provided a short presentation on a new contract HHSA is entering into for management of billing, including how the program will impact costs and clients. 

MHADAB member and former Shasta County Supervisor David Kehoe responded by asking if the decision to transition to the new program had been shared with MHADAB in order to gain advice and insight from the board before a final decision or whether the transition was already a “fait accompli.” 

“Is this an accomplished fact?” he clarified, adding to another board member in a loud sidebar conversation, “So why are we even here?”

MHADAB Chair Dooley suggested an ad hoc committee to continue to study the transition to the new program and Kehoe and others agreed to form one, allowing the meeting to move forward. 

After that, MHADAB members moved quickly through much of the rest of he agenda, hearing a series of committee updates on important topics like suicide prevention and opioid fund use in rapid succession, as few updates were provided.  

Shasta County Supervisor Kevin Crye, who sits on MHADAB as a representative of the county board, spoke hardly at all throughout the meeting, spending most of his time on his phone and responding only when called upon directly by the board chair. 

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