Signature Healthcare Services & Arch Collaborative to Proceed with BHCIP Funding Request Despite Local Opposition
Redding, Calif. — October 27, 2025 — Signature Healthcare Services (Signature) and Arch Collaborative have confirmed plans to move forward with a Tuesday, October 28, 2025, submission of the True North Behavioral Health Campus proposal under California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), despite the recent vote by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors to oppose the project. The proposal seeks to bring a $150 million investment from BHCIP, alongside a $50 million investment from Signature to Shasta County for mental health and substance use disorder infrastructure.
“I was stunned by the County’s actions as well as the disregard for both the urgency of the need and the extraordinary regional support behind this project,” said Alan Eaks, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Signature. “What was most disheartening was hearing statements implying that Signature does not provide high-acuity behavioral health care - statements that contradict both our capabilities and our conversations with HHSA.”
“Signature Healthcare has always been driven by expanding access to care,” said Eric Kim, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning. “That’s why we’ve long wanted to serve the rural North State, where the lack of access is both urgent and undeniable. Over the past year, one of our nine hospitals alone has cared for more than 60 children and adults from Shasta County.
If we had to decide today whether to expand to Shasta County, Friday’s Board of Supervisors vote would lead us to say “no.” That said, we’re moving forward with submitting our proposal tomorrow, knowing that if we are successful, our decision to accept the funds will depend on identifying a collaborative path forward with Shasta County HHSA,” Kim continued. “This region deserves the same access to care as every other part of California, and we will continue to do our part.”
The True North Campus has been developed through a year-long, community-driven design process that brought together hospitals, law enforcement, behavioral health providers, and more than 200 stakeholders across rural Northern California. It addresses the most urgent gaps identified in recent community assessments, including a shortage of crisis stabilization beds, inpatient psychiatric care, detox, and youth treatment options.
Mercy Medical Center Redding’s 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment identified “Access to Behavioral Health including Substance Disorder Treatment” as the second-highest community health need, stating, “The lack of behavioral health services leads individuals to self-medicate with substances…and the overdose rate is 20 points above the state average. The community has a large, underserved unhoused community that struggles with behavioral health, substance use, and underlying physical concerns.”
“We have one mission right now: to finalize an incredibly strong proposal to the State of California to allow Signature to submit by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline,” said Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Arch Collaborative. “We’re deeply grateful for their willingness to remain at the table and for the community’s support as we stay focused on what matters most: submitting an extraordinary proposal that reflects the beauty and resilience of the true North State.”
The proposed True North Behavioral Health Campus will include:
Together, these components total 72 beds and 32 chairs, designed to keep individuals in crisis from languishing in emergency rooms or jails and to provide stabilization, detox, treatment, and transition back to community supports.
Signature Healthcare and Arch Collaborative will continue engaging with local, regional, and State partners in the months ahead to reduce risk exposure and secure support necessary to move the project forward. The final award decisions are expected in spring 2026.
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About Arch Collaborative
Arch Collaborative works to ensure trauma-informed, community-based services are available to vulnerable populations across Northern California. The organization specializes in building regional partnerships, securing government funding, and developing sustainable programs that reflect the needs of rural communities.
About Signature Healthcare
Founded in 2000 by a psychiatrist, Signature Healthcare has grown into one of the nation’s largest behavioral health systems with 19 facilities across five states. In California, it operates nine hospitals across six counties - the state’s largest network of freestanding psychiatric hospitals -providing inpatient, residential, restore-to-competency programs for justice-involved adults, and partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services for adults, children, and youth. More than half of its patients statewide are covered by Medi-Cal or county-funded sources, underscoring its role as a safety net partner. In the past four years, Signature has opened three new facilities, demonstrating its ability to navigate state and county systems efficiently. For the North State, Signature is contributing the required 25 percent match and committing to proactive workforce development from the outset.
Media Contact:
Sarah Peery
Chief Communications and Program Administration Officer
530.917.5270
