BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT - R. WHITE
1. Approve retroactive affiliation agreement renewal with the University of South Dakota to continue to provide non-monetary internship for a Master of Social Work intern(s) for Behavioral Health for the academic school years from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2029; and
2. Authorize the Chair, County Executive Officer, or designee to sign.
SBC FILE NUMBER: 810
CONSENT AGENDA
Collaborations with universities throughout California and other states help San Benito County Behavioral Health (SBCBH) to build their clinical infrastructure to serve beneficiaries in San Benito County by providing student interns experience in the behavioral health and mental health fields and potentially provide the community with future professional in such fields. SBCBH's partnerships with various universities has also helped the department to build its clinical staffing. The internship program is important for SBCBH because of the shortage of clinicians in the community. SBCBH can evaluate an intern’s skills, work ethic, and cultural fit, potentially turning them into full-time employees once they complete their internships. This reduces hiring risks, as SBCBH has already observed the interns' performance in real work scenarios.
There is currently a plan for the university to provide one intern to SBCBH for the academic school year starting on August 1, 2026. They will work 16 hours per week as part of their school internship requirement. The Master of Social Work intern will primarily work on assessments as well as individual and group therapy.
This is the second non-monetary agreement with the University of South Dakota. RFP is not applicable as this is an MOU directly between University of South Dakota and San Benito County Behavioral Health.
1. Approve retroactive affiliation agreement renewal with the University of South Dakota to continue to provide non-monetary internship for a Master of Social Work intern(s) for Behavioral Health for the academic school years from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2029; and
2. Authorize the Chair, County Executive Officer, or designee to sign.