RCRC Selected for State Innovation Grant to Strengthen Rural Behavioral Health Systems

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission has announced its intent to provide a grant award to the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) through its Innovation Partnership Fund to establish the Rural Behavioral Health Action Collaborative (RBHAC), a county-led initiative designed to strengthen behavioral health implementation capacity across rural Northern California.

Selected through a competitive process that received 307 applications statewide, the proposed $5 million, 30-month project will help participating counties address shared challenges related to workforce shortages, data and technology systems, administrative capacity, and multi-agency coordination.

Developed by RCRC in partnership with Arch Collaborative, RBHAC is not a direct service program. Instead, it creates a shared regional infrastructure model that allows rural counties to work together on complex behavioral health reforms that would be difficult to tackle individually. Arch Collaborative is an organization that works to ensure trauma-informed, community-based services are available to vulnerable populations across Northern California. The organization specializes in building regional partnerships, securing government funding, and developing sustainable programs that reflect the needs of rural communities.

RBHAC will be facilitated by RCRC and supported by Arch Collaborative using a Collective Impact framework that brings counties together around shared priorities, measurement, and implementation. Plumas and Glenn counties played a leading role in developing the concept and grant application and will serve as co-chairs of the Steering Committee overseeing the RBHAC.

Counties expressing interest in participation include Glenn, Plumas, Modoc, Lassen, Del Norte, Colusa, Siskiyou, Sutter, Yuba, Trinity, and Shasta, with additional rural counties expected to participate as the collaborative is formed.

The project is expected to conclude in December 2028 with a sustainable regional collaborative model and a set of lessons and best practices that can be applied across rural California.

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“Rural counties have a long history of finding innovative ways to do more with less, but lasting progress requires that rural voices be part of shaping the solutions. This grant is an important investment in local leadership and regional problem-solving. It will help rural counties build the tools, relationships, and knowledge needed to navigate major behavioral health reforms and ensure that our communities are not left behind.” – Geri Byrne, Modoc County Supervisor and RCRC Immediate Past Chair

“This award is tremendous news for our rural communities. As a long-time champion for rural counties, I know what a difference this investment will make. This grant is an investment in healthier communities, greater access to care, and a stronger future for rural California.” – Mimi Hall, Plumas County Supervisor

“Rural communities deserve behavioral health systems that are every bit as strong, responsive, and innovative as those available elsewhere in California. This grant gives counties an unprecedented opportunity to work together, build shared capacity, and develop solutions that reflect the realities of rural service delivery. The lessons and partnerships that emerge from this collaborative have the potential to strengthen behavioral health systems not only in participating counties, but across rural California.” – Scott De Moss, Glenn County Administrative Officer

“RCRC’s commitment to rural counties is awe-inspiring. Rural counties are asked to carry out the same behavioral health reforms as large urban systems with a fraction of the staff and resources. This grant gives the far North State the shared capacity to take that on together, and Arch Collaborative looks forward to working alongside RCRC and the region to build a more integrated behavioral health system.” – Kimberly Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Arch Collaborative.

ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)

The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a forty member county service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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