Breanna Reeves
Riverside County public officials, health advocates and community stakeholders gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of a Riverside University Health System (RUHS) health care campus, the Wellness Village, on June 12.
The Mead Valley Wellness Village, funded by more than $80 million from the Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), will serve as a full-service behavioral health and physical health care campus that provides mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Parts of the campus funded through this initiative will allow RUHS to provide much needed resources to more than 20,900 community members each year.
“This project is designed to provide holistic care, addressing behavioral health, physical health, and social support, all in a nurturing and inviting environment,” said Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health Director Dr. Matthew Chang in a press release. “By integrating these essential services, we are creating a comprehensive and accessible system that will significantly enhance the quality of life for our community.”
The cost of construction for the 19.4-acre campus totals $580 million, with the campus offering robust health and social services such as primary medical care, dental services, onsite respite for families whose children are in short-term residential care, WIC and job training programs.
The project received final approval in April from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, with the campus located at the intersection of Harvill Avenue and Placentia Avenue in First District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries’s region.
“The RUHS Wellness Village represents a major shift in how we provide healthcare and will serve as a model for the state,” First District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said in a statement in April. “By centralizing and enhancing access to healthcare, such as pediatric behavioral health services, we’re ensuring that families no longer need to travel out of county for essential care.”
In addition to these grant-funded services, the campus will also include recovery residences, transitional living, a primary care health clinic, a pet hotel and a grocery store for residents.
Under the BHCIP, DHCS awards “eligible entities funding to construct, acquire, and expand properties and invest in mobile crisis infrastructure” in an effort to improve and expand community-based treatment options.This effort is part of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, which provides grant funding to construct new facilities and expand existing facilities that support children, youth, transition-age youth, pregnant individuals and their families with mental health and/or substance use disorders.