County to build behavioral health facilities with state grant

Riverside County has received $76 million from the state to build two behavioral health campuses, one in Coachella and other in Hemet.

The grant from the California Department of Healthcare Services, is part of the department’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure program, which is intended to reduce homelessness, incarceration and unnecessary hospital stays, according to a statement on the county’s website.

The behavioral health department was one of only five Southern California entities that received program grants last month.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the facilities needed in Riverside County for those with behavioral health needs,” said Dr. Matthew Chang, director of the county’s Riverside University Health System’s behavioral health department, in the statement.

Both campuses will be called the Recovery Villages. Both will provide mental health, physical health and substance treatment services, as well as vocational training and other services, according to the statement.

A construction timeline was not disclosed.