San Diego County's new behavioral health crisis stabilization unit is slated to open in a Chula Vista hospital this summer following an approval by the Board of Supervisors, an official said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, supervisors voted on consent in favor of a single-source contract to establish the Emergency Psychiatric Assessment Treatment and Healing (EmPATH) CSU at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.
According to a release from Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer's office, the new unit will:
- Serve people by providing immediate care "in a calming environment" to people experiencing behavioral health episodes
- Be located in the hospital's emergency department, streamlining the transition from crisis to care, and reducing strain on emergency rooms;
- Serve as a resource for people with substance use disorder and/or mental illness, including those detained under the state's reformed conservatorship law
- Meet the needs of underserved South County residents, including those without insurance and Medi-Cal recipients
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Lawson-Remer said the new unit "continues our aggressive work to expand treatment for those suffering from addiction and mental health challenges across our neighborhoods. ... We are advancing the promise of hope and healing for thousands of San Diegans who are struggling with mental health and substance use crises."
She added that the new unit and partnership with Sharp is "an example of what we can do when we get creative."
In a related action, the board voted unanimously in favor of a proposal by Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe to add up to 30 Medi-Cal-managed acute psychiatric beds at Paradise Valley Hospital in National City.
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Supervisors directed Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton to enter into discussions with Prime Healthcare on expanding the number of beds. According to information on Tuesday's agenda, discussions will also focus on exploring partnerships for board-and-care beds to address long-term housing needs, increasing outpatient programs to bridge care gaps, boosting substance use disorder treatment capacity for Medi-Cal beneficiaries and launching workforce development partnerships to grow the region's behavioral health staff.
Shelton will report back to the board within 90 days on most of the recommendations, and within 180 days on the board-and-care proposal. Montgomery Steppe said it was important to "shift the conversation away from overly simplistic views of behavioral health and the relationship between homelessness and behavioral health."
Homelessness, she added, is primarily driven by a lack of affordable housing.
"The work we're taking on must continue to be very intentional, targeted and outcome-focused," she added.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria described the board's actions as "a step in the right direction" toward addressing the region's behavioral health crisis but added that more urgent action is needed.
"Every day, people suffering from extreme mental illness and substance use disorders are left to struggle in our public spaces without the access to care they desperately need," Gloria said.
