Board approves renewed telepsychiatry contract with North American Mental Health Services to serve jail and outpatient clients

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on July 22 approved a renewal of the county’s contract with North American Mental Health Services to provide telepsychiatry and psychiatric nurse practitioner services for the county jail and outpatient behavioral health clinic.

Anna Scott of Health and Human Services told the board the county previously maintained an on‑staff psychiatrist but that position became vacant after Dr. Schneider’s retirement. Since 2023 the department has contracted with remote psychiatric providers; Scott said the current contract provides continuity and access to multiple psychiatrists and a psychiatric nurse practitioner who manages outpatient medication work. The telepsychiatry visits are facilitated in county offices by behavioral health nurses using secure video conferencing; the vendor assigns two practitioners to the county and can provide specialty coverage as needed.

Why this matters: the contract is intended to provide medication management and psychiatric care for people with severe mental illness who are incarcerated and for outpatient clients in Bishop and via remote contact. Scott said contracting has helped reduce the impact of local provider turnover in a rural county and supports the county’s network adequacy obligations as a mental health plan.

Supervisors asked whether the service includes in‑person care. Scott said all visits under the contract are telepsychiatry, with in‑person facilitation by county nursing staff at the clinic. Board members and a behavioral health advisory board member praised the continuity the contract has provided and said it has been “very helpful” to clients in a rural area.

The board voted to approve the contract; staff said the arrangement will continue while they assess options for an on‑site psychiatrist if and when a local hire becomes feasible.