The public got its first chance yesterday to see the new 16-bed psychiatric health facility, constructed at an existing vacant residential facility at the Stanislaus Recovery Center in Ceres.
The center will open on Monday.
To address the large number of individuals with co-occurring substance use issues, the newly remodeled, 10,500 square-foot facility will also facilitate substance abuse treatment programs.
Funding for the new facility came from proceeds of a 2007 sale of a previous psychiatric facility.
The county is also seeking to secure state funding under Senate Bill 82, Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act, for a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) adjacent to the new facility. The CSU would provide treatment services for up to four clients at one time and provide a lower-level of care for individuals in crisis who do not need inpatient services to stabilize the crisis that they are experiencing.
"This new resource in our community comes about as a result of a unique collaboration involving county government, partner hospitals, law enforcement, and community stakeholders," said Director of Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Madelyn Schlaepfer. "It will be the centerpiece of a broader continuum of care for individuals in need of mental health services."
Recent reports have called attention to the consequences of limited community-based services for mentally ill patients. These include inappropriate and unnecessary use of hospital emergency rooms and high costs to local law enforcement who must sit with mentally ill patients in hospital emergency departments because there are too few beds for people who need intensive psychiatric care.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Beard today commended Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services during the grand opening of a new psychiatric health facility (PHF) that will address mental health needs of patients in the community.
"Increasing mental health crisis treatment beds in the community can help reduce unnecessary and costly expenses to hospital emergency rooms and law enforcement statewide," CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard said. "CDCR commends Stanislaus County for putting this important mental health initiative into operation."
