San Diego County Leads Collaborative Effort to Add Over 4,000 Behavioral Health Beds to Region
SAN DIEGO (January 23, 2025) - Today, Acting Chair Terra Lawson-Remer joined regional leaders, healthcare providers, and community advocates to announce the County’s support of 31 Proposition 1 funding requests, seeking over $580 million in state funding. If approved, these projects would add more than 4,000 net new behavioral health beds across San Diego County, significantly expanding access to care and addressing the region’s behavioral health crisis.
“If approved, these new beds will help us save lives, improve access to care, and address the root causes of the crisis we see every day—in our classrooms, in our living rooms, and on our streets,” said Lawson-Remer. “These projects represent a unified, regional effort to bring much-needed resources to San Diego County,”
California’s behavioral health system has been underfunded for decades, with resources declining since the 1970s. By the early 2000s, critical services had been decimated, leaving communities struggling to address rising mental health and addiction challenges.
In recent years, San Diego County has worked to reverse this trend. Since 2021, the County has increased its behavioral health budget by 40%—adding over $300 million to bring the total to $1.16 billion in Fiscal Year 2024-25. These Prop 1 funding requests represent the region’s most ambitious effort yet to secure additional state resources and build on this progress.
Supervisor Lawson-Remer announced the County’s support for 31 projects submitted by local healthcare providers and the County’s Behavioral Health Department. These proposed projects include new facilities, expansions to existing services, and targeted investments in underserved communities—all aimed at closing critical gaps in the region’s behavioral health system.
While securing Prop 1 funding would mark a significant milestone, local collaboration will be essential to turning these proposals into action. Once funding is approved, city councils and mayors across San Diego County must act quickly to clear red tape, approve permits, and ensure projects move forward without delays.
“No single entity, governmental or otherwise, can build the behavioral health system we need alone. It is only something that we can do together,” said Dr. Luke Bergmann, Director of Behavioral Health Services.
San Diego County is calling on residents to support these efforts by signing a petition urging local governments to prioritize these projects.
San Diego County is calling on residents to show their support by signing a petition urging local governments to prioritize these projects. "The County is fighting, the providers are fighting, and now we need everyone to stand with us to ensure these projects succeed,” said Lawson-Remer.
Click HERE to View, Sign and Share the Petition
See attached for the full list of projects supported
The following individuals and organizations participated in today’s announcement:
- Erin Brennan-Burke, Director of Government Relations, Family Health Centers of San Diego
- Lindsey Purdie, Executive Director, The Crossroads Foundation
- Amy Knox, Board President, The Crossroads Foundation
- Kristi Worley, Director of Philanthropy, San Diego Center for Children
- Greg Anglea, CEO, Interfaith Community Services
- Rebecca Louie, President/CEO, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
- Cara Vereschagin, Project Manager, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
- Mark Faucette, Deputy Director for the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), Advocates for Human Potential (AHP)
- Annalee Trujillo, Executive Director, Pala Housing Resource Center
- Chairman Smith, Pala Band of Mission Indians,
- Elizabeth Fitzsimons, CEO, ECS California
- Tony Guerena, our Clinical Vice President of the San Diego region, Akua Mind Body
- Elena Mashkevich, Executive Director of Contracts, Crestwood Behavioral HEalth Inc.
- Justin Miller, Health Hearts Medical Association
- Dr. Julie Hayden, Genesis Recovery
- Orvin Hanson, CEO, INdian Health Council Inc.
- Heather Jenkins, Director of Development, Casa de Amparo
- Barry Lindstrom, Vice President of Operations, Amity Foundation
- Rhonda Hall, Project Manager, Amity Foundation
- Daniel Navarrete, Project Director, Coastal Recovery Concepts
- Cheryl Rode, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Center for Children
- Thomas Jurbala, Operations Director, Generations Healthcare