San Francisco receives $33.7M grant for youth psychiatric facilities

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco has been awarded a $33.7 million grant to build new psychiatric facilities for young people, according to a statement from Mayor London Breed.

The funding will be used to build new inpatient and outpatient facilities at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The inpatient unit will have 12 beds, while the outpatient program will have 24 slots for intensive behavioral health care.

“Our youth deserve the same access to quality care, but for too long San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities who are low-income or without healthcare coverage have been overlooked. When we invest in intervening and comprehensive services for this critical age group, we know they have a real shot at leading healthy and full lives,” Breed said in a statement.

The grant was awarded through the California Department of Health Care Services and will be used to renovate and bring to code two unused spaces at the hospital on the sixth and seventh floors.

“This an extraordinary opportunity to grow our continuum of behavioral health services for youth in San Francisco,” said Dr. Hillary Kunins, director of the city’s Behavioral Health Services. “This funding will give the city the space needed to deliver the highest quality care to young people with complex and pressing needs who are uninsured or enrolled in Medi-Cal.”

The expanded inpatient services could serve an estimated 450 youths per year, while the outpatient program could serve 900 clients each year, according to the mayor’s office.

A timeline for construction will be announced in 2023.