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New Marian Regional behavioral health outpatient unit to offer local treatment, intervention

Santa Maria Times - 6/9/2021

Jun. 9—Officials at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria hope to address gaps in mental health care with the opening of a new Behavioral Health Outpatient Unit in the coming months.

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 Dignity Health Central Coast spokeswoman Sara San Juan.

Members of the public and local officials, including Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, were introduced to the unit on Tuesday through a tour and blessing ceremony.

While a lack of mental health beds and resources in North County previously meant that Santa Maria residents had to be sent to areas like Santa Barbara for inpatient care, the facility now provides the opportunity for more immediate care for local patients.

"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 Santa Barbara County falls far below the recommended number of mental health beds and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the need for increased treatment opportunities, according to San Juan.

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 David Ketelaar. "The pandemic has accelerated this increase dramatically, making the need even more urgent, and we are committed to supporting local behavioral health services to meet the needs of our community."

Plans for the facility became a reality in 2019 when The Sierra Land Group, the previous owners of the Marian West campus, donated $2.7 million toward the project.

An opening date for the unit has yet to be announced.

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