New mental health facilities open at LA County’s evolving Restorative Care Village

Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda Solis hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of three new behavioral health facilities at the evolving Restorative Care Village on the Los Angeles General Medical Center campus on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

The complex, located at 1260 N. Mission Road, includes a 96-bed psychiatric subacute facility, 32-bed residential withdrawal management facility and a 24-hour mental health urgent care center. Solis declared the opening “a major milestone in her nearly 12-year effort to transform County-owned land into a connected, care-centered community.”

According to county officials, the Restorative Care Village is designed to combine physical health, mental health, substance-use treatment and supportive housing to serve homeless and otherwise vulnerable people.

“For too long, people experiencing mental health challenges, substance use disorders or homelessness have been left to cycle between emergency departments, the streets and the justice system without the sustained care they need to recover,” said Solis. “I envisioned the Restorative Care Village as a different way forward, one that puts care first and gives people a pathway from crisis to treatment, recovery and stability. Today, that vision is becoming a reality.”

The Restorative Care Village is part of the Healthy Village complex, opening in waves at the Los Angeles General Medical Center.  The concept brings in health care, behavioral health services, housing and other community resources, according to Solis. The project taps varied funding sources, including $20 million from the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Project.

“With the multitude of healthcare challenges our communities face today, L.A. County is proud to support campus continuum models like the Restorative Care Village. This facility will support strategies proven to help people stabilize and recover,” said Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Nicchitta. “The Village will allow for better coordination of care and services in a single location—rather than having to shuttle people to multiple locations to get the care they need.”

The Mental Health Urgent Care Center aims to reduce visits to local emergency rooms for people with mental health crises, by operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“With a person-centered approach, the Restorative Care Village provides a compassionate treatment alternative to crowded emergency rooms and the criminal justice system,” said Lisa H. Wong, Psy.D., Director of the county Department of Mental Health. “Through the Restorative Care Village, we are breaking down the barriers that historically separated acute behavioral health and substance use withdrawal treatment by bringing them together under one supportive roof, where we can meet our most vulnerable residents exactly where they are, walking alongside them on their path to stability, dignity and recovery.”

The new facilities build on earlier phases of the Restorative Care Village, including a 96-bed recuperative care center and 64 beds devoted to crisis residential treatment programs, which provide an alternative to hospitalization for many.

Members of Danza Azteca Xochipilli performed a blessing at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Other speakers included:

–L.A. General Medical Center CEO Jorge Orozco;

–Brian Hurley, Interim Director of the county Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse and Control Bureau;

–Rosa Soto, General Medical Center Executive Director; and

–Waheeda Sabah of the California Department of Health Care Services.