Contra Costa County officials broke ground Wednesday on a new 45-bed behavioral health facility in Richmond that will provide long-term treatment and rehabilitation services for adults living with serious mental illness.
The Contra Costa Recovery Center will be the first mental health rehabilitation center of its kind in the county. The project will transform an existing county-owned building on the Brookside Shelter campus into a secure residential treatment facility designed for individuals who require extended psychiatric care and stabilization.
Mental health rehabilitation centers provide sub-acute treatment for people transitioning from acute care hospitals, state hospitals, or detention facilities. The centers serve individuals who are conserved and need intensive support as part of their recovery. Currently, Contra Costa County residents who require this level of care are often placed in facilities outside the county.
County officials said the new center will allow more residents to receive treatment closer to home. The facility is expected to open in June 2027.
The approximately 20,000-square-foot building will undergo a complete interior renovation and will include sleeping rooms, client care suites, medical and wellness areas, and outdoor recreation space. The center will provide around-the-clock care and rehabilitation services.
The project is funded through an $18.6 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Services as part of the state’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. Contra Costa County provided the required local match through the value of the property and has committed to operating the facility for behavioral health services for at least 30 years.
County and health officials said the project is intended to expand local behavioral health treatment capacity and improve access to specialized care for residents with severe psychiatric conditions.
Sweet they are finally opening the asylums back up! Closing them is exactly what has led us to the issues facing everyday citizens carrying the burden of politicians playing on emotions to divide the population!
Wonder what the costs are?
A work of fiction, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, published in 1962.
Media latched onto the “horrors” of mass hospitalization and ran with it.
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A democrat controlled congress passed Community Mental Health Act,
last bill JFK signed into law on Oct. 31, 1963. Bill was democrat Knee Jerk
reaction to controversy caused by the book.
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The democrats ‘deinstitutionalization’, in short, made mental health NOT their
problem. A practice still popular with democrats when they don’t have a
solution to an embarrassing problem. They simply make the problem no longer
by forcing it down the ladder onto the “COMMUNITY LEVEL”.
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Congress then FAILED to provide yearly funds needed for the
Community Mental Health Act, leaving communities with a
Federal mandate and no funds to make it happen.
I guess it’s cheaper to build new than refurbish the umpteen vacant buildings in the county?
What is long term mean? What kind of rehabilitation – evidence based? For people with substance use disorder? More questions than answers because this county and it’s officials have pretty much done nothing to really put a dent in this issue.
…good questions … I’m sure we wouldn’t get any substantial answer
This is wonderful news for Contra Costa County. For far too long, individuals experiencing serious mental health challenges have had to leave their communities and support systems to access long-term treatment. Investing in local mental health infrastructure means people can receive care closer to family, friends, and the resources that support recovery.
It’s encouraging to see county leaders prioritizing behavioral health and creating a more complete continuum of care. This rehabilitation center represents not only new beds and services, but also hope, dignity, and a commitment to treating mental health with the same urgency as physical health. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this long-awaited project a reality.
Sanatoriums, I think they are needed and “I hope” money well spent. We spend so much money on homeless programs and no result other than fraud and more homeless so another direction is needed
Then there’s always the Canadian approach . . . . .
months long medical care wait lists,
 but suicide they can manage in short order.
Considerating homeless population in CoCo county am thinking 45 beds
is a start, and nowhere near enough.
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Someone might want to suggest to our congressman it’s about time for
congress to adequately fund Community Mental Health Act, of 1963.
Providing care and shelter to those in need of help for mental health
problems should be a priority of a civilized society.
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Members of society have no problem seeking help for a broken leg,
it’s an entirely different story, for a broken mind.
That’s because a broken leg heals but a broken mind will never heal just look throughout history. It is not socities responsibitlity to fix anyone it is the individuals onus or if they are lucky maybe those around them take pity but we all have a tale of woe don’t we?
“They’re Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!”….Napoleon XIV, …1966.