SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer joined mental health experts Tuesday to celebrate $99.5 million awarded to the county to help build the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus in the Midway District.
The award is part of the second round of Proposition 1 Bond funding.
“We are here because of the tenacity of our Behavioral Health Services team — led by Director Nadia Privara-Brahms — and because voters across California stepped up to approve Proposition 1 when our region needed it most,” Lawson-Remer said. “Every day in our region, we see what happens when mental-health and addiction needs go unmet. We see it in overcrowded emergency rooms. We see it on our streets. We see it in families struggling quietly behind closed doors.
“No one is immune. And no one should have to face their hardest moment alone. That is why we are investing in care before crisis.”
The planned one-stop campus project is slated to replace a vacant complex adjacent to the existing San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital.
“We’re thrilled to receive nearly $100 million in state grant funding to bring our vision for the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus to life,” said Privara-Brahms, director of County Behavioral Health Services. “Thanks to this unprecedented award, we will be able to add 210 new treatment beds and slots that will significantly improve access to care for beneficiaries experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.”
The project is intended to serve more than 20,000 residents each year and “serve as a statewide model for integrated behavioral health infrastructure reducing reliance on emergency rooms and incarceration,” a county statement read.
“The county, this Board of Supervisors and Behavioral Health Services are transforming the way we care for our community’s well-being,” said the county’s Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton. “This project reflects our continuing investment in programs and services that connect people to care that can change and save lives.”
An expected 210 new treatment beds will serve Medi-Cal eligible San Diegans annually, including veterans, working-age adults, and “justice- involved” residents. The total cost for the project is estimated at $210 million.