SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego County Supervisors have approved a partnership with UC San Diego Health to address a severe shortage of behavioral health services for low-income residents.
During a press conference Tuesday, county supervisors spoke about the severe shortage of behavioral health services for low-income residents and said they want to create a system of care that is a right, not a privilege.
“One of the most significant crises facing our county is the lack of behavioral health services for our low-income community members,” said San Diego County District 4 Representative Monica Montgomery Stepp.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a series of measures to take next steps in addressing the crisis.
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“Nearly 1 in 20 San Diego residents are currently living with a serious mental illness,” Montgomery Steppe said.
The partnership will ultimately allow for the development of a new inpatient psychiatric facility at UC San Diego Health’s East Campus Medical Center with an additional 30 beds and a crisis stabilization unit.
“This new facility will ensure we can support our most vulnerable community members,” San Diego County District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson Remar said.
This includes Medicare beneficiaries who rely on the county for health care.
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“For Medicare recipients, these resources may not have existed,” Montgomery Steppe said.
The current plan is to provide care for adults 18 and older at the East Campus, but this is just the first step.
The new facility is expected to open within the next 20 months.
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