GATEWAYS HOSPITAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CENTER TO EXPAND IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

SACRAMENTO — On February 19, 2025, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center broke ground on Gateways' youth expansion project in Los Angeles County. The project, funded by Round 4 of DHCS' Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), will focus on youth with serious emotional or behavioral problems experiencing an acute psychiatric emergency.
 
DHCS awarded Gateways more than $19 million through BHCIP, which is part of California's ongoing commitment to expand behavioral health services for all Californians. With the passage of Proposition 1, even more behavioral health treatment facilities will be funded and built in 2025 and 2026.

"This groundbreaking is a significant step forward in our commitment to provide specialized care to youth facing acute mental health challenges," said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “By expanding access to comprehensive care, we are fostering an environment where all young people can receive the care and support they deserve to thrive."
 
GATEWAYS YOUTH EXPANSION PROJECT: Most of the youth to be served by the project have experienced traumatic events or adverse childhood experiences or are involved with child welfare services. Gateways is adding 37 inpatient beds for adolescents to the acute psychiatric hospital's existing 55 inpatient beds serving adults and adolescents.

“There is an urgent need to provide support for youth facing mental health crises," said Gateways Hospital CEO Dr. Phil Wong. “We commend California for prioritizing these funds to focus on youth mental health by expanding infrastructure capacity to help shift the tide. Our team is pleased to break ground on our expansion so we can start serving youth in need of these vital services."

In addition to traditional health care, the expanded facility will allow youth to receive multiple therapeutic services and participate in activities designed to build autonomy and help them transition to outpatient services. These services will include individual and group therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, mentalization-based therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and biofeedback. Youth housed in the unit will receive multiple therapeutic services, including family therapy and medical counseling.

Finally, youth presenting with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and youth with co-occurring alcohol and drug disorders will receive nutritional counseling, have their physical health closely monitored, and receive medication management.

WHY THIS 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 co-occurring mental health treatment needs and substance use disorders. BHCIP is addressing historic gaps in the behavioral health care system to meet the growing demand for services and supports throughout the lifespan of people in need.

DHCS awarded $1.7 billion in BHCIP competitive grants. In addition, DHCS will distribute up to $4.4 billion in competitive Bond BHCIP funding, including $3.3 billion for Round 1: Launch Ready grants as part of Behavioral Health Transformation, DHCS' work to implement Proposition 1. DHCS holds regular public listening sessions on this effort. Updates and recordings of the sessions are available on the Behavioral Health Transformation webpage.
 
ABOUT BHCIP ROUND 4: CHILDREN AND YOUTH: BHCIP Round 4, through funding made possible by California's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, focuses on Californians ages 25 and younger, including pregnant and postpartum women and their children and transition-age youth ages 18-25, along with their families. The 52 awards totaling $480.5 million allow for new construction and expansion of multiple outpatient and residential facility types, including children's crisis residential programs, perinatal residential substance use disorder facilities, community wellness/youth prevention centers, and outpatient treatment for substance use disorder. For more information, please visit the BHCIP website.​