For years, young people experiencing a mental health crisis in Santa Cruz County were taken to overloaded emergency rooms, the county’s adult psychiatric facility or were shifted to out-of-county facilities, away from their families.
That problem will end in the winter, when the Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health department opens Hope Forward–Esperanza Adelante, a crisis center in Live Oak designed for young people.
It will be available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The center’s Crisis Stabilization Unit offers eight chairs and is designed for short-term stabilization and stays of less than 24 hours.
Upstairs, the 16-bed Crisis Residential Program will offer therapeutic support and treatment for young people and their families, with typical stays ranging from two to 10 days.
Such care is essential, as mental health professionals over the past decade have noticed a “concerning trend” of mental health issues cropping up among young people, said Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health director Marni Sandoval.
In the U.S., Sandoval said, an estimated 20% of youth suffer from a mental health concern, and 80% of those have not received treatment.
Worse, professionals have noted a 104% increase in inpatient visits for suicide and self-harm for children 1–17, Sandoval said.
“Mental health is the number-one reason our kids under 17 are hospitalized, and it is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10–24,” she said. “So this is a pretty serious issue.”
The center’s programs will provide short-term, intensive support for children and youth experiencing acute mental health crises
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig called the new center “truly transformative.”
“This is a complete 180-degree turnaround in the care that our county is providing,” he said. “Until now, youth needing long-term care went out of county, separated from their families and support systems. That ends now.”
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Kim De Serpa, who has spent her career as a social worker with a focus on focusing on public health, child welfare and healthcare, said that it can take hours for mental health workers to find a place for a young person experiencing a mental health crisis.
“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “This facility is a huge benefit to our community and our hospitals.”
The $26.1 million project was funded from state grants and county sources. The project was completed after only three years of work.
Aspiranet, a California-based nonprofit, will operate the center. The Santa Cruz County Mobile Crisis Response Team will also support the center by providing referrals and transporting youth.
For information, visit santacruzhealth.org/YouthCrisis.
