LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis released the following statement after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved her motion to advance two projects at LAC+USC Medical Center that will provide 10 permanent acute adolescent psychiatric beds and 24 permanent acute adult psychiatric beds, as well as 24 behavioral health medical surgical beds. The LAC+USC Medical Center campus currently does not have acute adolescent or adult psychiatric inpatient beds on the campus; approval of this motion will improve the County’s ability to provide services to LAC+USC patients experiencing acute mental health disorders.
“Los Angeles County continues to face a persistent shortage of mental health beds, and that is clear when anyone visits the Emergency Department at LAC+USC,” said Supervisor Solis. “Our flagship hospital serves the County’s most vulnerable residents, and for too long these individuals with significant mental health needs have had to wait in overcrowded emergency rooms or be routed to other facilities for necessary care. With this motion, we are ensuring that our residents who need it most have access to a comprehensive continuum of care on the LAC+USC campus. I want to thank Governor Newsom’s Administration for the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BCHIP) grant to add this critical solution to the lifesaving services offered at LAC+USC.”
Construction for the two projects, LAC+USC Medical Center Ward 2E Remodel Project and LAC+USC Medical Wards 7A and 3D Remodel Projects, is scheduled to start in February 2023. Funding for the projects will come from the BHCIP grant and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
To read full motion, click here.
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