In May 2010, individuals with mental illness filed this suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California to challenge the County of Sacramento's proposed reductions in mental health services. The plaintiffs alleged that the County's plan to eliminate funding for Regional Support Team (RST) programs and the Transitional Community Opportunities for Recovery and Engagement (TCORE) program would put the plaintiffs at risk of institutionalization, as they would no longer have access to the services that ensure their successful placement in the community. Although the County had indicated a desire to open new clinics to meet their needs, no plans had been announced. Thus, the plaintiffs sought to enjoin the County from closing the clinics.

On June 9, 2010, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to immediately prevent the closure of the clinics and a motion for class certification. The County filed its opposition to this motion on July 14, and on July 19, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest supporting the plaintiffs' motion. On July 21, Judge John A. Mendez granted the plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction, but denied their motion for class certification as premature.

After a period of discovery and negotiations, the parties entered a settlement agreement in January 2012. The consent decree gave the County one year to develop a new plan that would preserve adequate outpatient mental health care while cutting costs. The agreement outlined a number of factors that the County would consider in developing its new continuum of care plan: peer-staffed clinics, help lines, intake procedures, etc. The agreement also provided that the County would hold public meetings to provide mechanisms for public input into the process. The consent decree expired in 2013, and the case is now closed.

Beth Kurtz - 11/16/2012
Andrew Junker - 10/29/2014


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