San Diego, CA – Today, San Diego County leaders convened a Special Board Conference to unveil a five-year framework to expand behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment capacity, outlining a goal of adding nearly 16,000 additional treatment slots by 2030.

Over the past four years, San Diego County has expanded behavioral health services by more than 5,100 slots, increasing access to treatment, crisis care, and recovery programs. Investments in Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs), Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT), and residential and outpatient treatment programs have already led to fewer people cycling through emergency rooms, jails, or the streets.

With today’s Board Conference, County leaders outlined a vision for the next phase of expansion, aiming to nearly double treatment capacity by 2030, bringing the total number of available treatment slots to more than 32,000.

“The County is building the behavioral health system San Diego needs—one that treats substance use disorder and mental illness as the public health challenges they are,” said Acting Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. "These investments will help thousands of San Diegans get the care they need before they end up in crisis, making our communities healthier and safer."

Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe emphasized the importance of expanding access across all communities. "Behavioral health challenges affect every part of our region, and we need a system that meets people where they are," she said. "We are making real investments to ensure that individuals and families—no matter their ZIP code—have access to treatment, recovery, and long-term support."

Significant Progress Already Made

San Diego County has already made major strides in strengthening substance use disorder services, adding more than 5,100 treatment slots since 2021 and expanding crisis response programs to ensure more people receive care before reaching an emergency room, jail, or the streets.

The County has:

• Opened four new Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs), with two more in development, leading to a 28% decrease in psychiatric ER admissions and a 200% increase in CSU utilization.

• Expanded Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) to 44 teams, responding to more than 12,500 behavioral health crises and diverting thousands from law enforcement intervention.

• Increased residential and outpatient treatment capacity, ensuring more people can transition from crisis care to long-term recovery.

• Strengthened behavioral health-housing partnerships, helping individuals move from crisis care into permanent supportive housing with ongoing treatment.

"These investments are already making a real impact—reducing pressure on hospitals, keeping people out of jail, and providing real recovery pathways," said Lawson-Remer. "Now, we’re scaling up to meet the full scope of this challenge."

By 2030, San Diego County aims to add nearly 16,000 new treatment slots, bringing the total number of available behavioral health treatment slots to over 32,000. This plan includes:

• Doubling residential treatment capacity, expanding from 4,978 slots today to 8,851 slots by 2030.

• Nearly doubling outpatient treatment capacity, increasing from 9,332 slots to 18,390 slots to ensure earlier intervention and long-term care.

• Expanding housing resources linked to behavioral health treatment, growing from 2,627 slots to 5,033 slots to provide stable recovery options.

These expansions will ensure San Diego County’s behavioral health system is equipped to meet growing demand, focusing on prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery instead of emergency-driven crisis care.

Medicaid Funding & The Future of Behavioral Health

While County leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding behavioral health services, they also cautioned that uncertainty around federal Medicaid funding could pose challenges to sustaining progress.

Medicaid is the largest funder of behavioral health care in San Diego County, covering services for more than 900,000 residents, including crisis response, treatment, and recovery programs. Proposed federal cuts to Medicaid would severely impact access to these critical programs, shifting costs to local governments and straining an already overburdened system.

“We are finally making the investments needed to solve these crises—but if Trump and Congress gut Medicaid, everything we’ve built could be lost,” said Lawson-Remer. “This isn’t a hypothetical problem—these cuts would mean fewer treatment beds, fewer crisis teams, and more people cycling through ERs, jails, and the streets.”

The County’s current efforts are aligned with state initiatives such as CalAIM and BH-CONNECT, which integrate behavioral health care with housing, case management, and long-term recovery planning. Sustaining these programs will require continued investment and policy stability at the federal level.

"We have come too far to turn back now," added Supervisor Montgomery Steppe. "San Diego County has a vision for how to meet the growing behavioral health needs of our communities. Now, we need the resources to make it happen."

Click HERE to review the presentation received by County Leaders today.