The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday honored Behavioral Health Director Phebe Bell with a certificate of recognition for her 12 years of service. Bell has resigned to take on a new position with the California Mental Health Services Authority; her last day with the County was Tuesday.
“You are one of the rare people in my life who have such breadth and depth of skills, which has made you so incredibly effective,” Supervisor Heidi Hall told Bell. “The programs you managed were incredibly complex and you did a great job at that.”
Supervisors also praised Bell for her compassion for those she served. Supervisor Sue Hoek said Bell made her and many others better people by showing how mental health services “can actually bring people out of darkness.”
Bell, who attended the meeting virtually from Truckee because of snow, said she learned a lot from the County and appreciated how she was offered many opportunities to grow and learn as a leader. “I feel I owe so much of my professional self to the generosity and kindness of the County,” she said.
Bell also praised Cari Yardley, Behavioral Health clinical administrator, who will serve as interim Behavioral Health director.
Bell began working at the County as the Tahoe Truckee program manager for Health and Human Services. Through her leadership, the County was able to navigate the challenges of state reforms to the Behavioral Health system and seized opportunities such as strengthening the department’s fiscal position. Her achievements include serving as president of the statewide County Behavioral Health Directors Association and helping community-based organizations and behavioral health treatment providers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
As director of Behavioral Health, she assisted in expanding the Odyssey and Bost residential treatment centers. She expanded the availability of substance use residential treatment for Nevada County residents and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the Commons Resource Center in Grass Valley for those experiencing homelessness. Bell has considerably enhanced access to housing for people experiencing homelessness, overseeing an increase in beds from 69 to a projected 253 beds. Moreover, she helped create the HOME Team, a medically focused homeless outreach and engagement team.