The Department is the advocate, expert, and clearinghouse on community mental health and substance abuse issues and programs for Commissioners Court.  The Department leads in the planning, coordinating, advocating, and organizing of community behavioral health stakeholders in activities to continually improve the availability of services in this community.

The department's essential duties are to develop and monitor behavioral health services that: 

• Increase early identification of behavioral health needs,
• Promote access to care, and
• Promote continuity of care.

Areas of focus:

• Improve services for Bexar County citizens; build capacity
• Improve mental health and substance abuse screening and access
• Establish a systematic approach to continuously assess mental health and substance abuse needs
• Reduce the stigma of mental illness and substance abuse
• Strengthen the public safety net through an expanded behavioral health system of care
• Receive community feedback from citizens and stakeholders
• Address and support the behavioral health legislative agenda