(FOX40.COM) — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that California is expanding behavioral health treatment capacity statewide through a series of new and ongoing projects aimed at increasing mental health and substance use disorder services.
According to state officials, the announcement, made at the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, highlighted projects funded through the state’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program, or BHCIP, and Bond BHCIP grants approved under Proposition 1 in 2024.
The governor’s office said that California has awarded $5.8 billion since 2021 to support 437 projects across 546 behavioral health facilities statewide.
Officials reported that the investments are expected to create 9,553 new treatment beds and more than 47,000 outpatient treatment slots serving an estimated 5.4 million people annually.
“California is delivering the modern behavioral health system that communities have needed for decades,” Newsom said in a statement. “These projects — large and small, urban and rural — represent real progress in bringing treatment, crisis care, and recovery services closer to home.”
State officials stated that Bond BHCIP alone has already funded 177 projects across 333 facilities, creating nearly 6,920 residential treatment beds and more than 27,500 outpatient slots, surpassing Proposition 1 goals within two years.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson said the projects are helping strengthen care access in underserved communities through partnerships with counties, tribal organizations and local providers.
The state highlighted several projects recently launched or under construction, including a new mental health rehabilitation center in Mendocino County, an eight-bed psychiatric health facility in Nevada County and a 60-bed tribal wellness village in San Diego County.
Additional projects include new rehabilitation and crisis treatment facilities in Alameda County, Los Angeles County and Madera County.
The governor’s office reported that the investments are part of California’s broader “Mental Health for All” initiative, which includes expanded crisis services, housing support, workforce development and the CARE Court program aimed at helping people with severe mental illness access treatment.
Officials also linked the expanded behavioral health infrastructure to California’s recent 9% reduction in unsheltered homelessness, the first statewide decrease in 15 years.
The administration said untreated psychosis remains closely tied to homelessness and incarceration rates, with individuals experiencing untreated psychosis significantly more likely to become homeless or enter the criminal justice system.
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