Alyse D

StarVista closes after number of financial issues On Thursday, July 10, about eight 16- to 21-year-old Redwood City residents were abruptly told they’d have to leave their home within five days.

“After fighting to get resources, it felt like they were taking them away from me so quickly.”

StarVista clients discuss the impact on the behavioral health provider’s abrupt closure and the five days’ notice to vacate their shelter.

www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/s...

Why are treatment programs closing in San Mateo County? At 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, the CEO of behavioral health nonprofit StarVista sent an email to employees notifying them that they would not receive their paychecks the next day.

Some of the county’s largest behavioral health contractors are shutting down important treatment services for Medi-Cal patients and pivoting toward programs serving privately insured clients. And there isn’t a clear path forward on how to fix it.

www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/w...

Post Prop 36, drug treatment participation remains low The overwhelming success of Proposition 36 this past November signaled that California voters were frustrated with a ballooning public health and safety crisis.

Many Prop 36 advocates hoped that upgrading drug possession charges from misdemeanors to felonies would push more people into treatment. But out of more than 60 drug-related Prop 36 cases in San Mateo County, none have undergone treatment thus far.

www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/p...

Fear seeps into immigrants’ lives in San Mateo County In a county where more than one-third of the population is foreign born, fear has seeped into many immigrants’ daily lives, as recent executive orders and federal actions have ramped

Over one-third of the county's population is foreign born, meaning many undocumented residents are fearful about recent federal actions. Many have stopped going out altogether, and lawyers say the directives are ambiguous and don't just target criminals.

www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/f...