Contra Costa County has received an 18.6 million grant from the state it will use to build a new mental health rehabilitation center, the county announced Tuesday.
Contra Costa Health officials said the new facility will be built on county-owned property at 847 Brookside Drive in Richmond.
The facility will serve patients experiencing serious mental illness who need 24-hour residential care, but don’t need hospitalization, according to the county. Residents who need that level of care must now travel out of the community — sometimes across the state — to find it.
“Right now, there is a tremendous burden on our patients and families, who must uproot their lives and relocate to wherever beds are available, during a time that is already extremely difficult for them,” John Gioia, chairperson of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement.
Gioia’s district includes the future site.
“This facility will help us to keep our residents in our community, where they are best served,” he said.
The center is planned as a locked facility with 44 beds providing 24-hour, sub-acute care, a high level of care that is less intensive and longer term than acute care, which patients receive when hospitalized.
No facilities currently provide this service in Contra Costa County, CCH behavioral health director Suzanne Tavano said, meaning that when a patient is ready to step down from hospital care but still needs 24-hour service in a locked facility, they are transferred to neighboring counties or farther.
“Our goal is to bring Contra Costa residents back home,” Tavano said. “People who need this level of care are receiving it in facilities located in the greater Bay Area and Central Valley. For at least 20 years, we’ve been working toward opening our own facility in Contra Costa, for Contra Costa residents.”
Earlier this month, the state selected Contra Costa County’s proposal for an $18.6 million grant through its Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program.
The county said voices from Contra Costa’s mental health advocacy community played a pivotal role in making the project a state funding priority. Currently more than 100 patients from Contra Costa County are receiving sub-acute care at facilities elsewhere in California.
The state grant will cover construction costs for the CCH-operated facility. A timeline for the project has not yet been established.
24 comments
“The county said voices from Contra Costa’s mental health advocacy community played…..”….are those the same voices that are in my head?….just a joke. How long has there not been a “J” Ward in Martinez?
Does he poll well there? He’s open to appearing at fundraisers
J ward is still at the hospital but it is small. Since the majority of the State mental hospitals have closed there is a need for more local facilities.
.
A construction grant fine and dandy but will CCH be able to fund the future operation and maintenance, including staffing and professional salaries, of the new facility?
.
Of course. They will just steal more money from us.
POST DELETED
Please Note: Users who use multiple names will be deleted. Please choose ONE name so others can easily chat with you.
There are millions of dollars in DHHS grants to be had so yes funding is there. All they have to do is submit the program outcome reports and finance reports on time which county HSD is fabulous at. CCC-HSD never lost a grant because of lack of reporting.
Exit I suggest you research how funding of health programs really work as only the lazy don’t get funding
IN THE END, WE ALL PAY!
YOU MUST BE LAZY IF DON’T YOU GET IT!
IT’S OUR MONEY!!!
18.6 million grant from the state to build a new mental health rehabilitation center?
What ? Are you NUTS?
No way a 44 bed locked facility could be built on that kind of money.
The 18.6 Mil will be spent on just the planning.
They would not have received the grant if they didn’t submit the building plan and 16 point program narrative
Spend and spend no end to this gravy train. This crap has got to stop, Before this whole state is broke.
Spend and spend until we our broke, can’t wait to get out of this state
I know I did not take mental health and its effect seriously until I saw it affect on a family member. I hope the new facility helps those that need it and their families.
Oh Gosh, is this an election year ? ? ? ?
Good. A drop in the bucket, but a drop nonetheless.
No easy answer to this one. What do we do with the freak-outs and zombies on the street? Is it better that they run wild or are sheltered together, ie concentrated.
POST DELETED
Please Note: Users who use multiple names will be deleted. Please choose ONE name so others can easily chat with you.
If they put the right people in there it could be a good thing. Maybe the ACLU will block it though. In this whacked country who knows anymore. Hopefully the sane will get back in command soon.
… most of it will get squandered but county and city officials … the meager of what is left will be for other pet projects… bets NOTHING will be built with the $18.6M? bets anybody? raise your hand? bets? no?
&18.6 million? No way….
It’ll end up being 2x to 3x that amount.
I was not aware that a cure for mental illness had been found. At present there are no objective tests for mental illness either.
What we can do is drug people up or apply electroconvulsive “therapy” until they are somewhat placid and docile. We used to use icepicks to perform transorbital lobotomies to see if that “cured” (translation: placid and docile) the patient.
What is expected to happen within the walls and fences of this facility? Of course, “patient privacy” likely means we will never be the wiser as long as the people they discharge are placid and docile. Discharged former patients can vote!
@ WC No one is touting a cure. But minimizing damage is possible.
The objective test for mental illness takes into account whether someone is an “imminent danger to him or herself”. What do you suggest for such people?
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Great movie!
@ANON….And it is an exact depiction of “J Ward” in Martinez back in the 60s.
Comments are closed.