The California Department of State Hospitals Selects Netsmart as Its Modernized, Data-Driven Technology Platform

Collaboration builds on Netsmart leadership in the public sector, expanding relationships across California while advancing connected, data-driven care for behavioral healthcare

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) has selected the Netsmart CareFabric^® platform to enhance clinical, operational and financial efficiencies across the Department’s five inpatient state hospitals. Through this collaboration, California DSH will deploy a full suite of Netsmart solutions and services to help its providers advance care delivery, streamline operations and strengthen connectivity across DSH facilities.

The collaboration further demonstrates continued momentum for Netsmart in the public sector space, expanding its reach to support 18 counties across California and, at a national level, more than 30 state hospital systems, nearly 200 county agencies and 200,000 providers across the U.S. public sector. As state agencies, counties and behavioral health providers face growing demands around patient safety, care coordination, reporting, workforce support and operational efficiency, Netsmart provides a purpose-built technology foundation designed to support the specialized needs of government communities.

DSH operates the largest inpatient state hospital system in the country, overseeing five state hospitals located in the California communities of Atascadero, Coalinga, Napa, Norwalk and Patton. Across these high-acuity hospital environments, DSH delivers specialized care for individuals with complex behavioral health needs, including patients receiving forensic evaluation, treatment and competency restoration services. The Continuum-EHR Project represents a significant advancement in DSH’s commitment to strengthening patient safety, improving care coordination and continuity, supporting competency restoration and forensic treatment workflows, and reducing administrative burden on staff in high‑acuity hospital environments across the Department.

“DSH is committed to strengthening the systems and tools that support our hospitals, programs and the individuals we serve,” said Stephanie Clendenin, Director of California Department of State Hospitals. “The Continuum-EHR Project advances our mission by modernizing our technology foundation to better support clinical care, enhance patient safety, streamline operations and improve access to information across our statewide care continuum. We look forward to collaborating with Netsmart as we advance this work and continue supporting our mission to provide high-quality, person-centered care.”

California DSH will leverage myAvatar^®, a behavioral health electronic health record (EHR) designed to support integrated care and drive collaboration across multiple complex care environments. DSH will also deploy Bells, an AI-powered clinical documentation and ambient listening solution designed to streamline the documentation process within the EHR by generating accurate records in near real-time. These AI tools aim to support more efficient clinical workflows, reduce documentation burden and give providers more time to focus on delivering person-centered care. By integrating a comprehensive suite of solutions from the CareFabric platform, DSH seeks to improve visibility across programs, enhance care coordination and equip staff with technology developed for the specialized needs of public sector behavioral health.

“We are incredibly excited to support the California Department of State Hospitals on the Continuum-EHR Project, an important DSH initiative that reflects years of thoughtful collaboration, strategy and planning,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “Behavioral health providers and state agencies are being asked to manage increasingly complex care needs, and they deserve technology designed specifically for the realities of their work. Netsmart has deep experience working with large inpatient state hospital systems across the country, and we look forward to bringing that experience to support the nation’s largest inpatient state hospital system. The opportunity to help strengthen whole-person care across California is especially meaningful, and we are committed to building a long and successful relationship that delivers lasting value for the individuals, families and communities they serve.”

California DSH joins a growing network of industry-leading public sector and behavioral health organizations collaborating with Netsmart to advance care delivery and operational efficiency in support of whole-person care across their communities. Netsmart will work alongside DSH beyond implementation to drive long-term modernization, workflow optimization and continued innovation, enabling person-centered behavioral healthcare across the most populous state in the U.S.

About California Department of State Hospitals

The Department of State Hospitals (DSH) manages California’s state hospital system, providing mental health services to patients admitted into state hospitals and across a continuum of care. The hospitals are fully licensed by the California Department of Public Health and include acute care, long-term care, skilled nursing care, and residential recovery care across the hospital system. DSH also contracts with county behavioral health, sheriff departments, and private providers to offer conditional release programs for individuals transitioning back to the community after treatment in a state hospital.

About Netsmart

Netsmart is an industry-leading healthcare technology organization empowering providers to deliver value-based care to the individuals and communities they serve. The Netsmart CareFabric^® platform serves as a unified, connected framework of solutions and services for human services, post-acute, payer and public sector communities. Together with our clients and Marketplace vendors, we develop and deliver innovative technology, including electronic health records (EHRs), interoperability, analytics, augmented intelligence (AI), population health management and telehealth solutions and services that assist organizations in transforming the care they deliver. The result has helped make a positive impact on the lives of more than 165 million individuals.

For more than 55 years, Netsmart has helped provider organizations in their efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we collectively serve. To learn more, visit ntst.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or X.