County Receives $65 Million for Mental Health Community at Metropolitan State Hospital Facility
In a significant move towards expanding mental health services, Los Angeles County has been awarded a $65 million state grant to renovate two buildings at the Metropolitan State Hospital campus in Norwalk, California. These renovated buildings will become psychiatric subacute facilities for transitional age youth between the ages of 18 and 25, providing 32 beds for this specific population.
The mental healthcare village, which is part of the $3.3 billion voter-approved Proposition 1 funds, will serve adults and transitional age youth with varying mental health and housing needs. The entire care community, upon completion, will have 219 beds and the capacity to treat hundreds of patients every year.
Supervisor Janice Hahn championed the measure and toured the site in June. The Metropolitan State Hospital, an open campus within a security perimeter on 162 acres of state property, is located in Norwalk, California.
The grant will be used to convert unused buildings on the Metropolitan State Hospital campus into a mental healthcare village. However, there are no publicly documented or recent plans for such a conversion and its funding, beyond the mentioned grant. For more detailed or official updates, checking California state mental health department sources, local government announcements, or hospital authority press releases might be necessary.
It's worth noting that, on August 27, Mario Uribe Estrada, a police officer assigned to the Metropolitan State Hospital, was arrested on a dozen counts of sexual molestation involving a 14-year-old girl, unrelated to the mental healthcare village project.
The Metropolitan State Hospital, a state-run public hospital located in Norwalk, specializing in psychiatric care, has seen changes recently. On February 11, the forty-three female patients housed at the annex of the Metropolitan State Hospital were transferred out of the facility. The exact date when the Metropolitan State Hospital officials notified the City of Norwalk about this transfer is not specified in the available information.
The development of the mental healthcare village is a promising step towards addressing the mental health needs of transitional age youth in the region. As more information becomes available, updates will undoubtedly follow, providing a clearer picture of this significant project.
The mental healthcare village, funded by a $65 million state grant, will serve not only adults but also transitional age youth, offering 32 beds for this demographic. This project, part of the $3.3 billion voter-approved Proposition 1 funds, aims to provide care for a wide range of mental health and housing needs, eventually treating hundreds of patients annually. Beyond the state grant, further details about the conversion of unused buildings into this village, including any events or community news, may be found through official sources such as the California state mental health department, local government announcements, or hospital authority press releases.
