ESCONDIDO — Construction has begun on Palomar Health’s new 120-bed behavioral health facility.
The Palomar Health Behavioral Health Institute aims to address the critical need for mental and behavioral health services in North County, particularly for active-duty military personnel, veterans, first responders, and residents.
The facility, developed in partnership with Lifepoint Behavioral Health, will be a two-story, 84,700-square-foot building located on the south end of Palomar Health’s main Escondido campus on Citracado Parkway.
The new site is expected to be completed in about 18 months.
Healthcare district leaders, Lifepoint executives, local officials, and community members gathered on Sept. 12 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art facility.
According to Palomar Health, the largest public healthcare district in California, the new institute will offer a tranquil environment designed to promote healing for adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients. It will feature four 30-bed units, each equipped with dining areas, separate entrances, recovery spaces for adolescents, and outdoor recreation areas.
The facility will also house Help for Heroes, a treatment program tailored for active-duty and retired military personnel, veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers. Palomar Health will be the first hospital on the West Coast to offer this program.
“We will provide these selfless heroes with care and services they need to overcome challenges brought on by repeated exposure to stress and trauma in the line of duty,” said Diane Hansen, CEO and President of Palomar Health.
Palomar Health Board Chair Jeff Griffith emphasized the long-awaited nature of the project, saying, “We’ve been waiting 10 years for this.”
Lifepoint Behavioral Health, based in Tennessee, operates 24 hospitals nationwide and offers a range of specialized mental health programs.
Russ Bailey, president of Lifepoint Rehabilitation and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, highlighted the importance of expanding access to care and creating new job opportunities within the community. He also stressed the importance of a safe environment for both patients and caregivers.
“We need to provide greater access to care,” Bailey said.
Mayor Dane White expressed the city’s commitment to supporting the project.
“We need this — it cannot come soon enough,” White said of the new facility.
The groundbreaking event also included remarks and a prayer from Chris Severs, chairperson of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and a Vietnam veteran. Severs underscored the significance of expanding mental health services for veterans.
“When you think about mental health for veterans… we look back and realize we didn’t provide a lot for them,” Severs said. “We’re running out of World War II vets now, but we still have plenty of Korean, Vietnam and Afghanistan veterans that are homeless, that are lost. How do we heal them? We may not be able to heal them 100%, but we can give them the tools they need to survive and continue on to make their lives more enjoyable.”
The new facility is set to play a crucial role in meeting the mental health needs of North County and providing critical support for those who serve and protect the community.
