The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an integrated plan that will help reshape behavioral health services in the county over the next three years.

The supervisors voted unanimously to accept the Behavioral Health Services Act plan to be implemented over fiscal years 2026-2029.

According to Ruben Imperial, director of the county’s Behavioral Health Department, the county contacted 600 unique individuals to receive input.

“This plan is a planning document,” said Imperial. “It’s an overarching framework for us; it establishes our strategic direction overall and our funding priorities under this new Behavioral Health Services Act framework.”

California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) in 2004 to fund community mental health services. BHSA replaced MHSA in 2025. It restructured funding priorities and expenditure requirements while putting a greater emphasis on housing and homelessness interventions.

California has about 180,000 homeless residents – nearly a quarter of the nation’s total unhoused population.

Investments outlined in the new plan included $12.5 million for housing interventions, $14.6 million for full-service partnerships, and another $14.6 million for behavioral health services and support programs. According to Imperial:

• Full-services partnerships are the county’s most intensive outpatient treatment programs and focus on individuals with the highest levels of need, including those experiencing homeless, justice involvement, repeated psychiatric crisis and serious mental illness.
• BH services and support programs fund much of the broader treatment system, including outpatient services, children’s services, crisis services workforce development, outreach engagement, and other treatment and recovery supports, as well as some early intervention programming.
• Housing intervention funds are dedicated to housing rental assistance, housing navigation, tenancy support designed to keep people in housing.

Imperial added that key community priorities include improved timely access to behavioral health treatment, expanded housing services, better coordination of care, increased outreach, engagement, and community awareness, expanded workforce capacity and service accessibility, and improved continuity of care across systems.

The state also has a list of goals, which include increased access to care, and reductions in homelessness, judicial involvement, the removal of children from homes, and untreated behavioral health conditions.

“BHSA represents a reprioritization of behavioral health resources toward those facing the greatest needs, coupled with a stronger focus on accountability, evidence-based practices, and measurable outcomes,” Imperial said.

Before Imperial addressed the supervisors, a bevy of Stanislaus County residents took to the podium during the public-comment portion the meeting to bring attention to the death of 39-year-old Shane Harlan, who died June 4 while in custody of sheriff’s deputies.

Harlan was arrested and restrained by deputies, who utilized a full-body restraint device known as a WRAP when he fell into unconsciousness and died, according to the sheriff’s department.

A GoFundMe account has since been created for his family.

“I’m here tonight because Shane Harlan should still be alive,” said a speaker identified only as Steve. “And regardless of whether he actually committed a crime, his life is worth more than that.”

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said it is awaiting the autopsy report to determine the cause and manner of death, according to reporting in The Modesto Bee.