In a concerted effort to bolster mental health services in San Diego, UC San Diego Health is partnering with the county to expand the East Campus Medical Center into a new behavioral health care hub. According to UC San Diego, the Board of Supervisors has given a unanimous nod to wrapping up the partnership details by October 21 and signing off on the agreement by Halloween.
The project is set to roll out 30 extra inpatient beds for adult Medi-Cal recipients and potentially add a crisis stabilization unit (CSU). UC San Diego Health, which acquired the facility in December 2023, is looking to add beds and fundamentally reshape how mental health services are delivered in the area. Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, praised the collaboration, noting the importance of addressing acute mental health issues in the community.
San Diego's need for this initiative is underscored by county data indicating that one in 20 locals suffers from a severe mental illness. This rate escalates among residents of lower-income households. UC San Diego Health intends to fill this gap, having worked with the county since 2018 to hatch a comprehensive behavioral health solution for the region. The expanded services at East Campus Medical Center are projected to be up and running by 2026.
Those involved believe the center will ease the shortage of psychiatric care options and augment the continuum of care for San Diego's most vulnerable populations. Dr. Jeff Daskalakis, Department of Psychiatry chair at UC San Diego School of Medicine and psychiatrist at UC San Diego Health, emphasized the importance of the development, stating, "This enhanced behavioral health services model is an emphatic response to the regional shortage of acute psychiatric beds, freeing up capacity in other medical units to handle rising emergency demands," as detailed by UC San Diego news release.
