In the absence of dedicated shelter beds or direct access for hospitals, San Diego’s homeless hospital patients often end up back on the street despite a state mandate to prioritize post-discharge placements.
The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to delay for one year enactment of a state law that expands mental health holds, based in part on concerns over training and the additional strain on hospital emergency departments.
Senate Bill 43 expands the legal definition of "gravely disabled" for involuntary treatment and conservatorship, but a proposal from a San Diego County supervisor seeks to delay the law's implementation by a year.
State legislation that makes people struggling with severe addiction eligible for conservatorships is expected to put more pressure on a treatment system now often unable to deliver immediate voluntary care.
There is an effort in the state legislature to bring a $25 per hour minimum wage for health care facility employees and there is also a push to enact it in three San Diego County cities.