San Diego County supervisors have unanimously approved a $32 million loan to UC San Diego Health, enabling the addition of 30 new mental health beds dedicated to Medi-Cal patients. This decision aims to address the ongoing shortage of psychiatric treatment capacity within the county.
The long-awaited move is seen as a significant boost to the region’s behavioral health infrastructure. Patricia Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, highlighted that discussions on expanding mental health resources have been ongoing for nearly eight years. Initially, plans centered on the county’s mental health hospital in the Midway District but shifted to Alvarado Hospital, which offered a faster, more cost-effective solution.
Alvarado Hospital, recently acquired by UCSD and renamed UC San Diego Medical Center East Campus, will house the new psychiatric unit. The hospital already operates a 30-bed unit for seniors with psychiatric conditions on its third floor. The expansion will broaden services to patients aged 15 and older, with 30 more beds being added to the vacant fourth floor. Half of the total beds will be reserved for Medi-Cal patients.
Maysent expressed optimism that the project could be fast-tracked through state approvals, estimating completion within 20 months. “We’re going to take the existing design and build it out,” she said, noting that both UCSD and the county are committed to moving quickly to meet the growing demand for mental health services.
Despite the progress, the timeline remains slower than initially expected. In 2022, former county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher had pitched the Alvarado project as a quick-turnaround solution, with hopes of opening by the end of 2023. Maysent pointed out that while the existing hospital infrastructure should speed up the process, multiple approvals are still required, contributing to the longer timeline.
The urgency behind the expansion is underscored by the upcoming implementation of Senate Bill 43 on January 1, 2024. The new law broadens the definition of “gravely disabled” to include those with substance use disorders, potentially increasing the number of patients needing psychiatric care. Josh Bohannan, government relations director for Father Joe’s Villages, emphasized that the lack of available hospital beds is already a bottleneck for behavioral health care in the county, especially for those experiencing severe crises.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has made mental health infrastructure a priority, with plans to expedite construction projects statewide. In March 2023, Newsom used Alvarado Hospital as a backdrop to announce Proposition 1, a $6 billion bond initiative to fund mental health facilities. Although the county hopes to secure some funding from Prop. 1, officials indicated the project will move forward regardless of the funding source.
The county is also preparing for the increased demand associated with SB 43, with supervisors unanimously backing a request from Supervisor Jim Desmond for $51 million in annual state funding to cover the costs of increased patient transports to emergency departments starting in 2025.
As San Diego County moves forward with this critical expansion, the collaboration between the county and UC San Diego Health marks a key step toward addressing the mental health care shortage, particularly for Medi-Cal patients.
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