# A Psychiatric Visit for Northern California, on Your Screen > Secure video visits for Sacramento, the Bay Area, Fresno and the far north. Psychiatric evaluation and medication management, no trip to Long Beach. **Source:** https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/psychiatrist-northern-california-telehealth/ **Provider:** Breakthrough Mental Health, 3646 Long Beach Blvd # 205, Long Beach, CA 90807 (telehealth across CA) Sacramento, the Bay Area, the valley and the far north Secure video visits from Sacramento to Redding. Psychiatric evaluation and medication management with the same clinician, no drive to Long Beach. Video visits across California [Book a video visit](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/book/) · [Call (818) 286-3862](tel:+1-818-286-3862) *(image: A bearded man in a green sweater smiling at a laptop during a video call at a wooden table, tall evergreen trees in morning mist outside the window behind him)* - 94.0% of Sacramento County households have broadband of some kind [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B28002&geo_ids=05000US06067) - 3,776 sq mi of land in Shasta County, where a long drive is the usual alternative [www2.census.gov](https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip) - 77.5% of San Francisco adults aged 19 to 64 hold commercial insurance [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B27010&geo_ids=05000US06075) - 2290.5 The state code section that sets the consent rule for telehealth [leginfo.legislature.ca.gov](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2290.5) In short ## Seeing a psychiatric provider from the north of the state Yes. We see people across Northern California by secure video, from Sacramento and the Bay Area to Fresno, Redding and the North Coast. A video visit is the full appointment: psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis and medication management with the same clinician. Our one office is in Long Beach, and the visit itself happens on your screen. **Our one office:** 3646 Long Beach Blvd # 205, Long Beach, CA 90807 **Hours:** Mon–Fri · 8 AM–6 PM (Pacific) **Phone:** [(818) 286-3862](tel:+1-818-286-3862) Telehealth available across California, with new locations coming to Northern California. The care ## What a video visit covers, start to finish This is a psychiatric practice. We diagnose, we manage medication, and we keep seeing you so the plan keeps fitting your life. We do not run therapy groups or weekly talk therapy. - ### [Psychiatry Services](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/treatments/psychiatry/) Comprehensive psychiatric care, including diagnosis, treatment planning, and ongoing management led by a board-certified provider. - ### [Medication Management](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/treatments/medication-management/) Careful selection, monitoring, and adjustment of psychiatric medications to maximize benefit and minimize side effects. - ### [Psychiatric Evaluation](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/treatments/psychiatric-evaluation/) A thorough first assessment to understand your history and symptoms and build an accurate diagnosis and plan. ### The first appointment Plan on about an hour. We ask what brought you in, what has and has not helped before, your health and current medications, and what you would like to feel different. You leave with a working diagnosis where one is clear, a plan, and the next visit already on the calendar. Follow-ups are shorter. They come every few weeks while a plan settles and spread out once it holds, and any medication change is made one step at a time so its effect stays readable. ### Video is the whole visit A video appointment is a full psychiatric visit, not a lesser version. Evaluation, diagnosis and medication follow-up all happen on screen, from anywhere in California. New patients see [Irine Achuamang](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/providers/irine-achuamang/), a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. [Dr. Cho](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/providers/austina-cho/) provides collaborating physician oversight. Paying for care ## Paying for a video visit from the north We are in network with 19 commercial carriers, including Aetna, Anthem, Beacon Health Options, Carelon, Cigna and others, and you can check your own plan below before you book. TRICARE and TriWest are on that list, so service members, veterans and military families are billed like anyone else here. **We do not currently take Medi-Cal managed care.** If that is your coverage, we are a self-pay option rather than a covered visit, and it is better to know that now than at the front desk. Self-pay is $250 for a 60-minute initial psychiatric evaluation and $150 for a 30-minute follow-up visit, and there is a sliding scale. Please ask. ### Coverage across Northern California - Among adults aged 19 to 64, 63.7 percent in Sacramento County hold commercial coverage through an employer or a plan they buy, against 74.1 percent in Alameda County and 77.5 percent in San Francisco. [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B27010&geo_ids=05000US06067,05000US06001,05000US06075) · checked 2026-10-26 - In the same age band, 27.6 percent of Fresno County adults and 30.3 percent in Humboldt County rely on Medi-Cal or another means-tested program alone, and 9.9 and 7.4 percent have no coverage at all. [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B27010&geo_ids=05000US06019,05000US06023) · checked 2026-10-26 Accepted in-network ## In-network with your insurance We're in-network with most major plans, so care stays affordable. Not sure about yours? Verify your coverage in about a minute, or we'll gladly check it for you. No card to hand? Leave your name, phone number and email, tick “look it up for me”, and we'll do the checking. Self-pay & sliding-scale options are also available. [or call (818) 286-3862](tel:+1-818-286-3862) Plans we accept **Plans accepted:** Aetna, Anthem, Beacon Health Options, Carelon, Cigna, Evernorth, GEHA, HMC HealthWorks, Horizon BCBS, Independence BCBS, Magellan Health, MultiPlan, Optum, Oscar Health, Oxford, TRICARE, TriWest, UMR, UnitedHealthcare ## Paying out of pocket? Self-pay rates Clear, upfront self-pay rates. No surprises, no fine print. You’ll know the cost before your first visit. - Initial psychiatric evaluation $250/ 1 hour - Follow-up visit $150/ 30 min Sliding-scale options are available. Just ask. [Book a video visit](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/book/) Getting care ## Before your first video appointment ### Seeing us by video - California's Business and Professions Code section 2290.5 requires the provider starting telehealth to tell the patient about it and to get and document the patient's verbal or written consent first. [leginfo.legislature.ca.gov](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2290.5) · checked 2026-10-26 - The same section says agreeing to telehealth does not stop a patient from getting in-person care during the same course of treatment. [leginfo.legislature.ca.gov](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2290.5) · checked 2026-10-26 - Households with broadband of any type make up 94.0 percent of homes in Sacramento County, 91.3 percent in Shasta County and 88.9 percent in Fresno County. [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B28002&geo_ids=05000US06067,05000US06089,05000US06019) · checked 2026-10-26 - Under section 2290.5, the laws on professional responsibility and standards of practice that govern a provider's license apply in full while that provider works by telehealth. [leginfo.legislature.ca.gov](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2290.5) · checked 2026-10-26 *(image: Two women laughing together as they pick out apples and leafy greens at an outdoor farmers market stall under a white canopy)* ## One practice, the whole state, one screen Breakthrough Mental Health keeps a single office, on Long Beach Boulevard, and sees people from the rest of California by secure video. For someone in Sacramento or Redding that is not a second-best arrangement. It is the arrangement. You talk with the same clinician a Long Beach patient sees, on the same calendar, and the appointment covers the same ground. Distance in the north is real. Shasta County alone covers more than 3,700 square miles of land, about eighty times the land area of San Francisco. On video the distance stops mattering: the first visit takes about an hour from wherever you sit, and the follow-ups after it are shorter. ## What we actually do on the call Nothing on the call is held back for an office visit. The full evaluation, the diagnosis and the plan all happen on screen, so a first appointment taken from Redding has the same length and depth as one held on Long Beach Boulevard. After that the work is medication management. When a change is made, the follow-ups are where we look together at whether it is helping. We do not offer talk therapy, and we will tell you honestly if what you need is a therapist rather than a psychiatric provider. ## Getting ready for the first video visit California asks every clinician who starts telehealth to explain it and to record your consent before the visit begins, so expect a short conversation about that at the start. It is a formality that protects you, and it takes a minute. Then the practical part. Use a phone, tablet or laptop with a camera, in a room where you can talk without being overheard. In an apartment in San Francisco that might be a parked car. In a farmhouse outside Fresno it might be the kitchen before everyone wakes up. Census figures put home broadband above nine in ten households in Sacramento and Shasta counties and close to that in Fresno County, so for most people the connection is the easy part. ## Which door to knock on first Commercial coverage is the norm in much of the Bay Area, while in Fresno and Humboldt counties a far larger share of working-age adults rely on Medi-Cal alone. That split decides where your first call should go. With a commercial plan, run it through the coverage check on this page; if we bill your plan, you can book with us directly. With Medi-Cal, we do not currently take Medi-Cal managed care, so the first call usually goes to your county or your Medi-Cal health plan instead. Counties handle specialty mental health services for Medi-Cal members: Humboldt County contracts with the state to provide them, and a county provider page for Alameda says members who meet its criteria receive them through the county’s behavioral health agency. County lines keep different hours, so the hour you call matters. Sacramento’s BHS-SAC line and Fresno’s Access Line answer around the clock. A county provider page lists weekday staffed hours for Alameda’s ACCESS Program, with a crisis service after hours, so check when you call. In Shasta County one number serves both weekday access and crisis response at any hour. The numbers are listed further down this page. ## When a video visit is not the right tool Some situations need someone in the room, today. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or use your county’s line from the list below. Video care is built for steady, ongoing treatment: getting the diagnosis right, finding a medication that works, and checking in often enough to keep it working. For that, a screen in Eureka works the same as a chair in Long Beach. Where ## Across the north, region by region - In the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates, Alameda County has 1,649,473 residents, Sacramento County 1,594,006, Fresno County 1,016,725 and San Francisco 830,235. [api.censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B01003&geo_ids=05000US06001,05000US06067,05000US06019,05000US06075) · checked 2026-10-26 - Shasta County covers 3,775.7 square miles of land and Humboldt County 3,568.0, against 46.7 square miles for San Francisco. [www2.census.gov](https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip) · checked 2026-10-26 *(image: A woman in a cap and life vest smiling as she paddles a kayak across a calm lake ringed by pine forest, a little mist on the water)* - Sacramento and the capital region A short follow-up fits inside a lunch hour, taken from a parked car or an empty meeting room. - San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Dense neighborhoods and thin walls. A closed car or a booked library room can be the quiet spot you need. - Fresno and the Central Valley Farm work and long shifts leave narrow windows, and a short video follow-up fits into one. - Redding and the far north Hours from a large city by road, which is exactly the trip a video visit leaves out. - Eureka and the North Coast Weather and winding highways decide a lot of travel plans. A screen does not care about either. Public resources ## County lines across Northern California Listed because they are useful. We have no referral arrangement with any of them. - Sacramento County's BHS-SAC screening and coordination line answers at (916) 875-1055, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. [dhs.saccounty.gov](https://dhs.saccounty.gov/us/en/behavioral-health/behavioral-health-services/entry-point/bhs-sac.html) · checked 2026-10-26 - San Francisco's Behavioral Health Access Center line, 888-246-3333, gives information on mental health services around the clock. [sf.gov](https://www.sf.gov/location--behavioral-health-access-center-bhac) · checked 2026-10-26 - Alameda County's ACCESS Program at 1-800-491-9099 is the county's point of contact for screening and referrals; a county provider page gives its staffed hours as 8.30am to 5pm on weekdays, with Crisis Support Services of Alameda County answering after hours. [bhcsproviders.acgov.org](https://bhcsproviders.acgov.org/providers/Access/access.htm) · checked 2026-10-26 - Fresno County's behavioral health Access Line, 1-800-654-3937, is open 24 hours a day for information, screening and referrals. [fresnocountyca.gov](https://www.fresnocountyca.gov/Departments/Behavioral-Health/Care-and-Services/Programs-Services/Adult-System-of-Care) · checked 2026-10-26 - Shasta County's mental health number is (530) 225-5252, or (888) 385-5201 toll free, answered by Health and Human Services Agency staff. [shastacounty.gov](https://www.shastacounty.gov/health-human-services/page/crisis-mental-health) · checked 2026-10-26 - Shasta County's adult mental health access line keeps Monday to Friday office hours, with crisis response available 24 hours a day. [shastacounty.gov](https://www.shastacounty.gov/health-human-services/page/adult-mental-health) · checked 2026-10-26 - Humboldt County Behavioral Health keeps a 24-hour crisis line at 707-445-7715. [humboldtgov.org](https://humboldtgov.org/406/Adult-Behavioral-Health-Services) · checked 2026-10-26 - California Health and Human Services lists CalHOPE at 1-833-317-4673, reachable by phone or chat. [chhs.ca.gov](https://www.chhs.ca.gov/youthresources/) · checked 2026-10-26 - Humboldt County Behavioral Health contracts with the state Department of Health Care Services to provide specialty mental health services to county residents with Medi-Cal. [humboldtgov.org](https://humboldtgov.org/329/Behavioral-Health) · checked 2026-10-26 - A county provider page for Alameda County says Medi-Cal members who meet the medical necessity criteria with moderate to severe impairment receive specialty mental health services through the county's behavioral health agency. [bhcsproviders.acgov.org](https://bhcsproviders.acgov.org/providers/Access/access.htm) · checked 2026-10-26 - The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline takes calls, texts and chats at any hour, free and confidential. [988lifeline.org](https://988lifeline.org/) · checked 2026-10-26 ## Questions from Sacramento to the North Coast ### Can I see you by video if I live in Sacramento or the Bay Area? Yes. Video visits are available anywhere in California, and the appointment is the same one a Long Beach patient gets: an evaluation of about an hour first, then shorter follow-ups for medication management with the same clinician. ### Will I ever need to come to Long Beach? You can if you want to. California's telehealth law says agreeing to video does not stop you from getting in-person care later in the same treatment. Most of what we do happens in conversation, so the screen carries it well. If something in your care ever needs an in-person step, we will say so plainly and talk through the options. ### What if I am out of state on the day of my appointment? Call us before the visit. Our video appointments are for people in California, so a trip out of state usually means moving the time rather than holding the visit from a hotel room. ### Who answers if I need help outside your hours? Several county lines are listed on this page with their hours. CalHOPE takes calls and chats, and the 988 Lifeline answers at any hour. If you are in danger right now, call or text 988 or 911. ### Do your hours work for Northern California? Yes. The whole state runs on Pacific time, so there is no time-zone arithmetic. Our office keeps weekday hours, and video appointments are booked inside those same hours. ### How private is a video visit? The visit runs over secure video, and the rest depends on the room you choose. A closed door, headphones and a time when nobody else is home make a real difference to how freely you can talk. Related ## Reading on the conditions we treat - [Depression & Related Disorders](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/conditions/depression/) - [Anxiety & Related Disorders](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/conditions/anxiety/) - [Bipolar & Related Disorders](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/conditions/bipolar/) - [Psychiatric Evaluation](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/treatments/psychiatric-evaluation/) - [Medication Management](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/treatments/medication-management/) - [Telepsychiatry in California →](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/telepsychiatry/) - [Psychiatrist in Long Beach →](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/psychiatrist-long-beach/) - [All areas we serve →](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/locations/) ## Start from wherever you are in the north Pick a time online and we will confirm it by phone. The first appointment runs about an hour, all of it on video. [Book a video visit](https://breakthroughmentalhealth.health/book/) · [Call (818) 286-3862](tel:+1-818-286-3862)