County, Tri-City Celebrate Grand Opening of Psychiatric Facility

With a countdown, the snips of seven pairs of scissors and a ribbon fluttering to the ground, completion of the new Psychiatric Health Facility in Oceanside was celebrated on Thursday.

The grand opening marks the opening of the first County-funded inpatient psychiatric health facility in the region and brings much needed services to residents in the North County.

The single-story building will offer 16 beds for inpatient short-term psychiatric care and plans to care for 350- 500 patients each year. Psychiatrists, therapists, nurses and peer support will help stabilize and treat patients. The average stay is expected to run five to seven days.

The $27.6 million medical facility was jointly funded by the County and the Tri-City Healthcare District. The Healthcare District operates the Tri-City Medical Center.

The 13,560 square-foot structure sits on the western edge of the Tri-City Medical Center campus.

The County and the medical center worked together to plan and design the new facility. A long-standing behavioral health care provider for the County, Exodus Recovery, will operate it.

The facility adds to the spectrum of specialty services that the County provides to address behavioral health in the region and includes Mobile Crisis Response Teams and a Crisis Stabilization Unit in Vista and Oceanside.

The state-of-the-art facility was built to meet silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The building includes:

• Energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems
• Low-flow water fixtures
• Durable, sustainable materials designed for safety
• Dayrooms with natural light to support healing

The facility will begin accepting patients in December. Learn more at the County of San Diego's website.