This week, San Diego County launched a $75 million initiative,  the first of its kind in California,  to train 3,000 new behavioral health workers to serve our region.

It’s the largest local investment in the mental health care workforce in state history, and it tackles the one thing that will make or break our progress: staffing.

For too long, our mental health and addiction treatment system has been upside down, forcing people to hit rock bottom before they can get help. Families shouldn’t have to wait for a breakdown, a relapse, or an arrest before care kicks in.

San Diegans deserve to get help and care before a crisis, not after.

If you’re a long-time reader, you’ve seen me write about this upside-down pyramid of care before. Over the past few years, we’ve built the foundations of a better system. We’ve opened crisis stabilization units, deployed 24/7 mobile response teams, and added more than 5,000 new opportunities for people to get treatment.

But none of it works without the people to staff it

A Workforce that Works for San Diego

In 2022, we released the County’s first-ever Behavioral Health Workforce Report, which revealed the scale of the challenge: we need 18,500 workers by 2027 to build and sustain the system San Diego deserves.

Today’s investment helps close that gap by:

• Forgiving student debt so graduates can choose public service over private profit.
  
  
• Creating paid apprenticeships and internships for counselors, case managers, and community health workers.
  
  
• Expanding placements and mentorships so students get hands-on experience while earning credit.

Just like medical residencies train doctors, this program will finally give behavioral health students the pipeline they’ve always needed — turning good intentions into good jobs and lasting careers.

By making these careers competitive, debt-free, and rooted in community, we’re tackling the crisis on our streets, in our classrooms, and in our neighborhoods at its core.

Great Career, No Debt

Help us spread the word. The San Diego Pay It Forward Loan Program will make it possible for students to choose public service and become behavioral health professionals to serve our community without being crushed by debt.

“Care Before Crisis”

When someone’s child, parent, or neighbor is in crisis, they shouldn’t end up in an ER or jail cell. They should get help: fast, local, and compassionate.

This is how we make that possible. It’s how we build the system San Diego families deserve, one that puts care first and keeps our communities healthy.