STATE AND MENDOCINO COUNTY BREAK GROUND ON NEW PSYCHIATRIC HEALTH FACILITY
Facility Will Enhance Mental Health Treatment with More Beds and Comprehensive Care
SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Mendocino County today celebrated the groundbreaking of a new psychiatric health facility that will address critical gaps in mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. This facility will provide intensive psychiatric treatment services to a diverse range of individuals, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), people experiencing homelessness, and people involved in the justice system. Services will also extend beyond the county, reaching people throughout the North Coast region.
Groundbreaking for New Mendocino County Psychiatric Health Facility
DHCS awarded Mendocino County more than $9.3 million through the
Behavioral Health Infrastructure Continuum Program (BHCIP), which is expanding California's health facility infrastructure to serve the state's most vulnerable residents. With Proposition 1 bonds recently approved,
even more behavioral health treatment facilities will be funded and built starting as early as 2025.
“These facilities are a crucial component of California's efforts to bring high-quality behavioral health care to rural and historically underserved communities," said
DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “Mendocino County's groundbreaking is a game-changer for people seeking dignified and holistic behavioral health services close to home."
“Today marks an important milestone as we break ground on our new psychiatric health facility," said
Mendocino County Chief Executive Officer Darcie Antle. “This facility represents a crucial step forward in our commitment to enhancing mental health services and providing much-needed support to people in our community. This facility will be a beacon of hope and healing, offering comprehensive care and resources for individuals and families facing mental health challenges."
ABOUT THE FACILITY: Mendocino County's new facility will provide a safe, therapeutic environment for individuals experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms. The facility will deliver intensive behavioral health services, including recovery-oriented treatment, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy to help manage emotions and improve relationships, trauma-informed care, formal and informal community and family supports, and continuous evaluation by a multidisciplinary treatment team. The facility aims to stabilize individuals in crisis and help them transition to less restrictive settings.
Mendocino County currently has limited access to inpatient psychiatric beds, often requiring providers to send individuals outside of the county for inpatient psychiatric treatment. The new facility will add 16 beds that are expected to serve about 358 patients annually.
WHY BHCIP IS IMPORTANT: Through BHCIP, DHCS awards eligible entities funding to construct, acquire, and expand properties and invest in mobile crisis infrastructure to further expand the range of community-based behavioral health treatment options for people with mental health and substance use disorders. BHCIP is addressing historic gaps in the behavioral health care system to meet the growing demand for services and support throughout the lifespan of people in need. Mendocino County received
BHCIP Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum grant funding.
DHCS has awarded $1.7 billion in BHCIP competitive grants. In addition, DHCS will distribute up to $4.4 billion in competitive BHCIP grants under Proposition 1 bond funds.
Behavioral Health Transformation is DHCS' work to implement
Proposition 1. DHCS holds regular public listening sessions, and updates and recordings of the sessions are available on the
Behavioral Health Transformation webpage.
ABOUT BHCIP ROUND 5: CRISIS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONTINUUM:BHCIP Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum was developed, in part, through a
statewide needs assessment that identified significant gaps in available crisis services. This assessment showed the need for a better system of crisis care to reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and incarceration. The 33 awards, totaling $430 million, are being used to build and expand crisis care and behavioral health facilities statewide and will serve vulnerable Californians of all ages, including Medi-Cal members. Please see the
BHCIP website for more information about BHCIP Round 5 grant recipients and additional details about all BHCIP funding rounds.