San Diego City Wire

The County of San Diego and partner agencies initiated the construction of the region’s seventh Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) on Thursday. These units are designed to provide individuals experiencing behavioral health crises with a calm environment for stabilization and recovery, as an alternative to emergency rooms, hospitals, or jails.

The new 14,000-square-foot facility is being constructed on County-owned property in El Cajon and is expected to open in the fall of 2025. It will be the first CSU in East County and will complete the network of crisis units across all six regions of the County Health and Human Agency (HHSA).

“This is an incredible day for East County,” said County Supervisor Joel Anderson, who represents the unincorporated El Cajon area. “One of the focuses I had was on mental health and homelessness. And this is a big step in the right direction, meeting the needs of East County. When I read the stats and saw what these Crisis Stabilization Units can do and mean for a community, I knew that we needed one in East County.”

Caroline Smith, HHSA’s interim deputy chief administrative officer, noted that CSUs not only assist those in crisis but also alleviate pressure on hospital emergency rooms where law enforcement often takes individuals for treatment.

“The County has experienced this effect,” Smith said. “At its psychiatric hospital when it comes to law enforcement transfers. For example, what we’ve seen in North County where we’ve opened three CSUs is that transfers by law enforcement officers to the psych hospital are down nearly 40% since 2022. We hope to see similar results here in East County.”

The Crisis Stabilization Units operate 24/7, offering patients up to 24 hours of care with services including intervention, assessments, medication assistance, therapy, peer support, and connections to additional services.

Luke Bergmann PhD., director of the County’s behavioral health services, emphasized that CSUs are integral parts of the overall behavioral health “continuum of care.” This plan includes expanding services such as long-term care and inpatient psychiatric beds.

“This is one of the things that is most exciting to me about CSUs,” Bergmann said. “Because they are devoted to engaging people and connecting them after stabilization to continued care. They represent the first step to journeys to recovery and well-being that will over time make San Diego County a healthier county for all of us.”

The East crisis unit project has an estimated budget of $29 million. It will be built according to U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certifications and feature rooftop solar panels for a "Zero Net Energy" footprint.

Thursday's groundbreaking event included officials from various entities such as Supervisor Anderson; HHSA; Grossmont Hospital; Grossmont Healthcare District; Balfour Beatty Construction; El Cajon Police Department; and representatives from the District Attorney’s office.

For more information about behavioral health services or Crisis Stabilization Units, visit their respective webpages provided by San Diego County.