Shasta County staff are asking the Board of Supervisors to approve a retroactive amendment to its agreement with Hill Country Community Clinic so the Circle of Friends mental health wellness and recovery program can continue in Eastern Shasta County through Dec. 31, 2026.
According to a staff report for the board’s Aug. 25 consent calendar, the amendment would extend the agreement from June 30 to Dec. 31, 2026, raise the maximum compensation from $761,225 to $954,713, and update reporting templates. Staff are also asking for budget amendments that would increase appropriations and revenue by $96,744 in the Alcohol and Drug Programs Budget (BU 422) and the Opioid Settlement Budget (BU 430).
The report says Circle of Friends is part of the county’s Rural Mental Health program and serves residents of the Intermountain area age 16 and older with serious mental illness, along with family members. The program does not provide direct treatment, but county staff say it offers social support, help connecting people to services, and wellness-oriented activities.
County staff say Hill Country has met the program’s required objectives and exceeded the minimum activity requirements. The report says participants have reported improvements in self-advocacy, knowledge of services, support for independent living, relationships and community safety, as well as fewer instances of homelessness and arrest.
The agreement also supports keeping a Hill Country staff member certified as a Copeland Center Level Three Taking Action for Whole Health and Wellbeing trainer. The report says that trainer can help co-facilitate Level One and Level Two trainings used to develop wellness plans and train additional facilitators.
Staff said the amendment is retroactive because negotiations over future services and available funding were still underway. The county is also working on a separate clubhouse model agreement that would replace this arrangement once finalized.
The report says there would be no additional General Fund impact and no county match required. It lists the total cost of the amendment for fiscal 2026-27 at $193,488, funded through BU 422 with an offsetting transfer from BU 430.
