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Sobering centers are short-term facilities that offer a safe environment for people under the influence of drugs or alcohol to recover. Often operating 24/7, these programs typically provide rest, meals, substance use education and counseling, and connections to health care services.

In many communities, sobering centers offer a valuable alternative to emergency departments and jails. They enable first responders to redirect people experiencing substance intoxication to more appropriate care settings, helping conserve resources for acute health care and law enforcement. Sobering centers are one of 14 optional Community Supports under California’s Medi-Cal (Medicaid) reform initiative, CalAIM, which is designed to deliver more coordinated, person-centered, and equitable care.

This Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) webinar, made possible by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), featured a panel discussion with a national expert on sobering centers and frontline sobering center staff. Panelists shared insights into how cross-sector collaboration can help create, operate, and sustain sobering centers in local communities, and how CalAIM resources can be used to support center sustainability.

Agenda

I. Welcome and Introduction

Speakers: Meryl Schulman, MPH, Senior Program Officer, CHCS and Mariana Torres, MSW, LCSW, Senior Program Officer, People-Centered Care, CHCF

M. Schulman and M. Torres provided opening remarks. M. Torres shared a preview of CHCF’s new resource, Blueprint for Sobering Care — Sobering Centers Explained: An Environmental Scan in California.

II. Panel Discussion: Exploring Sobering Centers in California Communities

Moderator: M. Schulman

Panelists: Jaime Campos, MBA-HA, SUDCC, Chief Executive Officer, Horizon Treatment Services; Amanda Rago-Carnegie, MA, LMFT, Divisional Director of Residential Treatment, Behavioral Health Services, Inc., American Indian Changing Spirits; Sylvia Barnard, Executive Director, Good Samaritan Shelter; and Shannon Smith-Bernardin, PhD, RN, CNL, President and Co-Founder, National Sobering Collaborative.

M. Schulman moderated a panel discussion with a national sobering center expert and California-based frontline staff, highlighting the benefits of sobering centers and exploring the barriers, successes, and innovative approaches to both developing and sustaining them.

III. Audience Q&A

M. Schulman moderated a Q&A discussion, fielding audience questions.

IV. Closing