The Sutter County Health and Human Services Department consists of 5 service branches and 1 administrative branch that work in concert to meet the needs of area residents.

The 500 staff of the department are committed to improving the quality of life for all they serve.

Health and Human Services Branches

Adult Services Branch
The Adult Services Branch provides behavioral health services and social services to individuals over the age of 18. Behavioral health services consist of outpatient therapy, case management, substance use treatment and medication management and serves both Sutter and Yuba Counties. Social services consists of Adult Protective Services, In-Home Supportive Services, Public Authority and Public Guardian.

Children’s Services Branch
The Children’s Services Branch provides behavioral health services and social services to individuals between the ages of 0-21. Behavioral health services consist of outpatient therapy, case management, substance use treatment and medication management and serves both Sutter and Yuba Counties. Social services consists of Child Welfare Services, which assists in protecting the children of Sutter County.

Acute Psychiatric Services Branch
The Acute Psychiatric Services Branch provides crisis behavioral health services and inpatient psychiatric services for both Sutter and Yuba Counties.

Public Health Branch
The Public Health Branch promotes and protects health by preventing or reducing the effects of illness through:

• Nursing programs that provide immunizations, follow-up for cases of infectious disease and case management for the specialized health needs of vulnerable populations;
• Education on healthy living, behavioral health, safety, and emergency preparedness; and
• Implementation of WIC, homeless and other programs.

Employment and Eligibility Services Branch
The Employment and Eligibility Services Branch provides a variety of workforce development programs and oversees benefit programs that Sutter County residents are eligible for, such as CalWorks, Medi-Cal and Cal-Fresh.

Administration and Finance Branch
The Administration and Finance Branch provides administrative and finance support to the department, overseeing budgeting and funding.

Sarah Eberhardt-Rios - Director of Health and Human Services

Sarah Eberhardt-Rios, MPA, is the Sutter County Health and Human Services (HHS) Director. Prior to joining Sutter County in 2018 as the Branch Director overseeing Acute Psychiatric and Forensic Services, Sarah lead the Integrated Systems of Care Division at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) overseeing specialty health programs serving 1 million beneficiaries including multiple state waivers and California Children’s Services. Prior to relocating to Northern California, Sarah spent ten years with the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health in multiple leadership positions. She is regarded as a subject matter expert in several areas of public behavioral health services, managed care, health and social services programs. Ms. Eberhardt-Rios obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Francisco State University in 2000 and her Master's degree in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino in 2007, enjoys stream fishing, vintage clothing, good music, and is a super fun gal.

Rick Bingham - Assistant Director of Health and Human Services - Program Services

As the Assistant Director of Health and Human Services, Rick oversees the three HHS branches that provide behavioral health and social services. He is also designated as the Director of Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health and the Alcohol and Drug Program Administrator for Sutter and Yuba Counties. Rick is a native of Southern California but left the state to pursue his education. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and his Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.

He worked as a behavioral health therapist in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area and in New Hampshire before returning to California to accept a job with Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health in 2000. Rick and his wife, Michelle, have three children and reside in Yuba City.

Steven Leahy - Assistant Director of Health and Human Services - Administration and Finance

Steven has over 11 years of experience working with County Health and Human Services finance. Prior to joining Sutter County as the Assistant Director of Health and Human Services – Administration and Finance, he held roles overseeing the Social Services budget, Behavioral Health budget and as a Division Manager of Fiscal Operations in Tulare County. He is originally from Central California and received his bachelor’s degree in business management from California State University – Fresno. 

Steven enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their three boys, traveling, and maintaining his saltwater fish tank.

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Christa Flanery - Senior Human Resources Manager

As Senior Human Resources Manager for the Health and Human Services Department, Christa provides Sutter County rule and policy interpretation and guidance on employee matters; consults with managers and supervisors regarding Employee Relations issues, investigations and disciplinary actions; and provides support on Human Resources related issues the department takes to the Board of Supervisors or its Health and Welfare Committee for action. She manages all phases of the recruitment and selection process, analyzes duties and responsibilities of positions, reviews personnel payroll transactions, consults regarding the establishment of alternative work schedules, and participates in negotiations.

Prior to coming to Sutter County, Christa had a successful Human Resources career in the technology industry. She has a Master of Administration degree in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

David Singh Nagra, Branch Director - Employment and Eligibility Services

As the Branch Director for the Employment and Eligibility Services Branch, David oversees workforce development programs and supportive services in the CalWORKs/Welfare to Work Program and public assistance programs that Sutter County residents are eligible for, such as CalWORKs, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal.

David has over 23 years of experience providing a wide range of public assistance eligibility and benefits services to Sutter County residents. He has extensive experience in the oversight of the CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and General Assistance programs and knowledge of effectively interpreting and implementing state and federal regulations at the local level. David obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree from CSU Sacramento in 1995 with a dual concentration in Strategic Management and Risk Management-Insurance.

Leah Northrop, Branch Director - Public Health

Leah Northrop began her career in government service with the California State Auditor, conducting program evaluations, compliance audits and fraud investigations. Her time with the State Auditor was followed by various positions at different state agencies, including policy analysis, legislation and grants administration. Prior to coming to Sutter County in 2018, she coordinated department-wide initiatives and served as the Executive Director for the California Conference of Local Health Officers at the California Department of Public Health. Her broad experience in government service has prepared Leah for her role as Public Health Branch Director for Sutter County.

Leah has Masters degrees in Public Administration and International Studies from the University of Washington, and Bachelor’s degrees from UC San Diego.

Dr. Phuong Luu, MD, MHS, FACP
Bi-County Health Officer

Dr. Phuong Luu is a board-certified internal medicine physician with a passion for public health as she believes prevention and health promotion is the key for all to live healthy lives. Prior to joining the Yuba-Sutter region in 2020, she served as the medical director of public health for a small US territory called the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. The US territory lacked most medical specialists so in addition to her public health responsibilities, Dr. Luu worked as a primary care provider practicing at the top of her license to care for complex, chronically ill patients. 

Dr. Luu obtained her medical degree from the University of Washington and completed internal medicine residency at George Washington University. She also completed a General Internal Medicine Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and while there, completed her master of health science in clinical epidemiology. 

Betsy Gowan, Branch Director - Adult Services

As the Branch Director for Adult Services, Betsy oversees social services programs such as Adult Protective Services, the Public Authority and IHSS services.  She also oversees Behavioral Health programs including substance use disorder services (First Steps and Options for Change) and mental health services including Wellness and Recovery, the Hmong and Latino Centers, Prevention and Early Intervention services, Open Access and Urgent Services, Case Management and Full-Service Partnership Programs. Additionally, she serves as the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Coordinator.

Betsy came to Sutter County in 2021 with 14 years of county behavioral health executive leadership experience.  Prior to coming to Sutter County Betsy served as the Behavioral Health Director for Tehama County and as a Manager for Community Development in Butte County. She has been intimately involved with MHSA in her years of county behavioral health experience and was the MHSA Coordinator in Butte County. 

Before working for county behavioral health Betsy had a wide array of experiences including as regional director of statewide training and technical assistance programs funded by the Office of Child Abuse Prevention.  She worked for non-profits and provided clinical supervision for school-based counseling programs, managed a case management and day treatment program for pregnant and parenting women, implemented a grant funded family counseling center for high-risk youth, provided crisis services for a youth hotline, and provided counseling for youth and families. She started her career with behavioral health working for drug and alcohol prevention services in school based and community settings.  

Betsy has Master’s and Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Recreation Administration from California State University Chico. She is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

Paula Kearns, Branch Director - Children's Services

Paula Kearns, MSW, is a branch director with administrative oversight of Children’s Services which includes Child Welfare Services (CWS) for Sutter County, and Youth and Family behavioral health services for children and families in Sutter and Yuba Counties. Paula obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work in 1996, and her Master of Social Work Degree from California State University, Sacramento in 1997.

Ms. Kearns has over 23 years of experience working in social services with children, families, disabled and elderly adults through an array of programs and positions held in Sutter County including social worker, supervisor and program manager. Paula enjoys singing with the Yuba-Sutter Master Chorale, spending time with “Brit Pack” friends, musical theater(re), and living in the foothill countryside with animals! 

Susan Redford, Branch Director - Acute Psychiatric Service 

As the Branch Director of Acute Psychiatric Services and Public Guardian, Susan oversees Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health’s (SYBH) 16-bed Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF), Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) and Sutter County’s Public Guardian’s Office.  Susan has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Counseling from Prescott College and Master of Arts Counseling Degree from Chapman University.  She is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).  Susan has over three decades of experience providing a broad range of clinical and administrative services in California and Arizona.   

Susan has been instrumental in developing and implementing new and innovative clinical paradigms and programs, such as the SYBH Adult Outpatient Services Open Access Clinic and the SYBH/Adventist Health Rideout Psychiatric Emergency Services collaborative. From the inception of the partnership with Adventist Health Rideout in 2016,  Susan has continuously contributed her expertise to the development and longstanding success of the collaboration that has garnered recognition and awards including the California Hospital Association (CHA) Innovations Award 2017, California Association of Counties (CSAC) Innovation Award 2018, and the National Association of Counties Award (NACo) 2018.

Susan enjoys adventures with family, street and trail running events, playing the harp, and traveling.