New Marian Regional behavioral health outpatient unit to offer local treatment, intervention
Santa Maria TimesJun 09, 2021
Jun. 9—Officials at
The facility, which includes beds for eight people, has been in the works for the past few years, with the potential for expansion. Services that will be provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis include intervention, assessment, evaluation, therapy and support resources, according to
Members of the public and local officials, including
While a lack of mental health beds and resources in
"Instead of waiting for an extended period in our emergency department for a transfer to an out-of-county inpatient mental health facility, our BHOU will see patients as soon as they are medically cleared, providing early treatment initiation," said San Juan, adding that staff also can coordinate local follow-up care more effectively.
Currently, 1 out of every 8 emergency department visits are related to behavioral health or substance abuse, she said.
The facility comes at a time of great urgency, as
While federal standards recommend the availability of 50 mental health beds per 100,000 people, the county currently has four beds per 100,000 people, San Juan said. The number represents a 50% decrease from just two years ago.
"Every year, nearly 1 in 5 people suffer from an acute psychiatric illness and would benefit from treatment," said Marian emergency physician
Plans for the facility became a reality in 2019 when The
An opening date for the unit has yet to be announced.
___
(c)2021 Santa Maria Times, Calif.
Visit Santa Maria Times, Calif. at http://www.santamariatimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.