UC San Diego and Imperial County form psychiatry residency program; county to host rural track with $2.5 million in initial support
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Summary
County behavioral health and UC San Diego announced an accredited psychiatry residency program to be based in Imperial County; application and match steps put first residents on track for July 2026 start.
UC San Diego and Imperial County behavioral-health officials on June 10 announced approval to establish a psychiatry residency program based in Imperial County intended to expand local access to psychiatric care and train clinicians to remain in the region.
Leticia Blancarte Garcia, director of the county behavioral-health department, said the program has been two years in active development and follows more than a decade of prior efforts to bring a residency track to the county. "Imperial County has struggled for many years to meet the needs of our community," Blancarte Garcia told the board. She said roughly 20% of people who need mental-health services are actually being served now and that a local residency will help grow that capacity.
UC San Diego physician partners described the accreditation steps already completed: the sponsoring institution approval (sponsoring-institution accreditation was secured in July 2023), the program application, faculty recruitment, and required affiliation agreements with El Centro Regional Medical Center, Intercare and other partners. Dr. Koh of UC San Diego said the county's program is part of a small group of rural psychiatric residency programs nationally and that housing the residency in the county (rather than as a San Diego-based rural track) increases the likelihood trainees will remain practicing locally.
Program leaders said they have line-of-sight on a multi-step timeline: a posting this summer, interviews in the fall, participation in the national "Match Day" (March 15), and an expected start date for new residents on July 1. The program plans an initial class size of four residents per year. Presenters told the board that federal and institutional partners provided about $2,500,000 to support the project during setup and early operations.
Ending: County and UC San Diego leaders told the board they will continue community engagement, finalize rotations and faculty assignments, and proceed with recruitment; the first match results are expected March 2026 with residents beginning clinical duties the following July.
