Supervisors Support Mental Health Services for West Valley

SAN JOSE – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors today supported a proposal by County Supervisor Joe Simitian to pursue options for improving mental healthcare access for West Valley residents.

The County Administration will return to the Supervisors with opportunities, which may include partnering with one or more community organizations to provide outpatient mental health treatment and navigation services at locations throughout the West Valley region.

“The residents of the West Valley simply can’t afford to wait any longer for the quality care they need,” said Simitian, who serves as Chair of the County’s Health and Hospital Committee. “The best help is local help. We need to make it easy for West Valley residents, especially kids, the elderly, and low-income residents, to access mental health services at a reasonable cost in their own communities — not miles and miles away from home.”

The recent challenges of mental illness have only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are likely to continue long after the pandemic has subsided.  A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 41% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in 2021, up from just 11% in 2019.  And a 2021 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed that 37% of high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic. A study published in August of this year in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that anxiety doubled from 15% before the pandemic to 30% in 2020–2021.

Distance and long travel-times are among the barriers to access. There are currently no County clinics located in the five cities and towns of the West Valley. While community-based organizations currently provide some mental health services, there is not enough mental health care for children, adults, and older adults in the West Valley.

“Both younger and older folks have trouble with mobility. They have also suffered unprecedented levels of isolation and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. They deserve high-quality easy-access care, just like folks in other areas of the County,” said Simitian.

Over 20 letters of support were received from elected officials, local organizations, and mental health care providers. “Behavioral health care is in a crisis. Demand is at an all-time high, while supply significantly drags behind demand,” wrote David K. Mineta, President and CEO of Momentum for Health. “We cannot agree more wholeheartedly with Supervisor Simitian singling out the problems of mental health care coverage for the West Valley.”

Rising costs are another serious barrier to getting help. Over 40,000 West Valley residents receive Medi-Cal, and almost 90,000 people earn less than 400% of the family poverty line (e.g., $54,360 for an individual, $110,000 for a family of four). Yet the cost of mental health care continues to go up. A 2022 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that spending on outpatient mental health services jumped by 37% from 2013 to 2020, compared to 11% inflation during that same time.

“Too many low- and fixed-income residents of the West Valley have to choose between their mental health, paying the rent, or paying for groceries,” said Simitian.

There are serious consequences to inaction. According to NAMI California (National Association on Mental Illness), untreated mental illness can lead to disability, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, and death by suicide, with an annual economic cost of $100 billion for the United States. And when outpatient mental health goes untreated, this can lead to more acute mental health incidents.

A 2021 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a 42% increase in emergency department visits for pediatric mental health compared to before the pandemic. Other health conditions can get worse too, potentially leading to disability and chronic illness.

In her letter of support, Mayor of Saratoga Tina Walia wrote, “Access to services and resources within our community is vital for these particularly vulnerable populations. I hope that the County can find a way to bridge the gap in the West Valley by providing mental health treatment and navigation services at locations throughout the western part of Santa Clara County.”

Simitian has long championed health care services for the West Valley. Earlier this year, Simitian and County Supervisor Otto Lee proposed a plan to bring a Valley Health Center clinic to the De Anza Community College campus in Cupertino. This clinic would not only serve students attending De Anza Community College and other community colleges in the area, but other residents of the West Valley as well. Currently, there are no County clinics located in the West Valley communities of Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga.

“Folks are going untreated because they just can’t make their way to far-away clinics. Many can’t pay skyrocketing prices on low and fixed incomes. They need access to affordable services in the West Valley,” said Simitian. “With a growing mental health crisis across the County and across our country, we simply can’t afford to wait.”