San Diego County Supervisors OK Funding, Plans for Behavioral Health Facility

SAN DIEGO, CA — The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to advance plans -- involving design, construction and funding -- for a $240 million Behavioral Health Wellness Campus in the San Diego Midway District.

According to board chair Terra Lawson-Remer, supervisors voted to secure $99.5 million in state Proposition 1 behavioral health money for the campus, which is to be built on 8.24 acres of county property located at 3851 Rosecrans St.

"The new campus will bring crisis care, mental health treatment, addiction treatment, residential rehabilitation and ongoing outpatient services together in one location -- providing care to more than 22,000 San Diegans each year," her office added.

When finished in June 2031, the 120,000-square-foot campus will feature:

-- a crisis stabilization unit for those suffering mental health emergencies;

-- residential substance use disorder treatment, along with a peer-led rehabilitation program;

-- a mental health rehabilitation center for residents in need of longer-term, intensive care; and

-- an outpatient community mental health clinic that will offer treatment and coordinated care.

Supervisors on Wednesday also approved $22.3 million "for planning, procurement, design and permitting, bringing current pre-construction funding to $35 million and allowing the county to begin selecting the team that will design and build the campus," according to Lawson-Remer's office.

The campus project also involves demolishing an existing structure on the Rosecrans property.

"For too long, our behavioral health system has waited until people are in the emergency room, in jail or living on the street before getting them the help they need," Lawson-Remer said. "We're building something different: a system where people can get the right care at the right time, and move from crisis to treatment to recovery without falling through the cracks."

According to Lawson-Remer's office, more campus funding "will be allocated a step at a time."

In order to receive the $99.5 million from the state, the county had to prove it could find additional money, an official said.

By KAREN WEIL / City News Service