The Benefits and Challenges of an Integrated Adult and Aging Division in the Sonoma County Human Services Department

In 1992, Sonoma County undertook the reorganization of Aging and Adult Services as part of a planning process that involved a comprehensive restructuring of many county government programs. It was predicated on the Board of Supervisors’ goal of reducing the cost of government and consolidating services with the idea that the newly created division would be the focal point for accessing services by the community. The end result was that the Sonoma County Adult and Aging Services Division achieved full integration in 1996 and now consists of the Area Agency on Aging, In Home Supportive Services (ihss), Public Authority, Veterans Services, Adult Protective Services, Public Administrator, Public Guardian and Conservator. Sonoma County’s integration efforts resulted in a number of significant achievements, including: ■ Sharing of resources among the different divisions ■ Centralized Intake Unit for all Adult and Aging Services Programs ■ Integration of mssp/ihss ■ Personnel and staffing ■ Program Operations ■ Community Relations Sonoma County also experienced challenges to its integration process, including: ■ Employee uncertainty about job retention or assignments ■ Organizational turf issues and resistance among the divisions/departments to be integrated ■ Community support ■ Organization disruption during integration process My experience studying Sonoma County has raised questions of applicability to Contra Costa County. Contra Costa County achieved a similar type of reorganization without the painstaking research and deliberation that occurred in Sonoma. While Contra Costa County is now struggling to provide basic human services, its leaders have had to make very difficult decisions due to the economic downturn and deep recession. The economic situation the State of California finds itself in only exacerbates California’s counties’ problems.