There is a brand-new inpatient psychiatric facility called Coachella Valley Behavioral Health, which will soon be opened at Indio in Riverside County.
The hospital is set to begin operations as of January 2021; however, the specific date of its opening was not specified during a recent board meeting held by Desert Healthcare District. It is located at 81-555 JFK Court, near JFK Memorial Hospital.
Hullinger also shared that the 75,000 square-foot single-story structure evolved from Indio City’s approval in February 2019 even though construction was delayed due to COVID-19.
The Coachella Valley Behavioral Health is expected to transform the mental health landscape within the desert with its 80 available beds divided into four specialized units targeting different populations and mental illnesses:
- 20 for adults struggling with mood disorders and addiction problems
- 20 designed for adults managing thought disorders, including chronic mental health patients that might have had multiple readmissions
- 20 for older adults/geriatrics facing other additional comorbidities, while being planned for an even more complex medical cases in future
- 20 specifically allocated to adolescents between 13 and 17 years old
Co-ed units with individual rooms excluded for safety reasons. Privacy can be ensured through adaptation of the rooms where it becomes necessary. There will also be isolation rooms for special patient needs.
To deliver comprehensive services, create a multidisciplinary team made up specialists such as psychiatrists, physicians, counselors, registered nurses and other behavioral health professionals; it is estimated that this facility will initially need about 275 employees.
According to Hullinger who highlighted a conservative opening approach, “we want to embark on this journey carefully.”
As such, it expects to take on only few patients initially so as to build capacity gradually through training of staff and adherence to laid down protocols.
Furthermore, Hullinger informed that there would be another addition of 48 beds which can cater for enhanced detox services or substance use programs or can accommodate children below 12 years of age.
Coachella Valley Behavioral Health in Indio is owned by Acadia Healthcare which has its corporate offices in Franklin Tennessee.
Acadia is committed to making available behavioral healthcare solutions across the United States and operates a chain of 253 facilities across 39 states including Puerto Rico where it has over 11,100 beds.
The hospital provides an array of support services as part of its operation. In group settings, patients receive daily interaction with social workers, counselors, activity therapists and nurses who aim at skill growth and dealing with personal issues.
Additionally, there would be contracted internal medicine services to cater for holistic health beyond behavioral matters; psychiatry, psychological testing, laboratory services, x-rays and other consultative relationships will be provided as needed.
Although Coachella Valley Behavioral Health will have a detox program for substance use, it is not intended to be a long-term substance disorder treatment facility.
Following a safe detoxification process, patients needing longer stretches would be transferred accordingly.
Future growth plans include the introduction of out-patient offerings such as partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) which would serve both adults and teenagers alike.
Additionally, ECT will be provided specifically for treatment-resistant conditions among elderly individuals.
In addition, Hullinger emphasized that every patient being discharged from the hospital must have comprehensive discharge plan.
The hospital accepts all insurances including MediCal and is determined to be accessible.
For instance, visiting Coachella Valley Behavioral Health could be done in different ways such as through ER referrals after psychiatric emergencies, doctors’ or specialists’ advice and even self-referral without prior appointments.
While the establishment primarily caters for Coachella Valley, it admits patients from all over California due to a critical shortage of mental health beds – more than 1200 beds in Riverside County alone.
Hullinger took pride in its founding even as he acknowledged the huge unmet mental health needs in California.
Coachella Valley Behavioral Health occupies a key place in bridging the mental health services gap that has existed for long and heralds a new era of holistic care delivery within this region.
