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El Dorado County accepts $24 million state grant to renovate psychiatric facility, board approves
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Summary
County staff told the Board of Supervisors it was awarded $24,000,000 through the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program to convert a former juvenile hall into an upgraded psychiatric health facility and outpatient hub; the board approved staff recommendations despite warnings about tight timelines and a $3.6 million local match obligation.
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 13 to move forward with the SOAR project, a plan to renovate the former juvenile hall at 299 Fairlane into a county psychiatric health facility and integrated outpatient services hub funded primarily by a state Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) award.
Health and Human Services Agency staff told supervisors the county received a conditional award of $24,000,000 and must complete construction and open the program by June 30, 2030, or risk reverting the award. Jim Deal, who led the presentation, said the award is a one-time construction grant that must be used to build or rehabilitate real property for behavioral health purposes.
“Made in May, we were awarded $24,000,000 to complete the SOAR project,” Deal said, adding that the county received the agreement only the Thursday before the meeting and that county counsel was still reviewing final terms. He warned the board the agreement includes recorded restrictions that can encumber the property and restrict its use for 30 years once recorded.
Deal described a changed match obligation after county negotiation. The county had anticipated a $5.5 million match but secured a reduction to roughly $3.6 million in total local match, of which about $3.1 million is documented in in-kind property value and approximately $500,000 will be cash through a county Medical Services Program infrastructure matching grant.
Justine Collinsworth, behavioral health director, described service impacts the project would enable: a 16-bed psychiatric health facility configured as single-occupancy rooms; an integrated outpatient floor with substance-use and linkage services; and colocated eligibility, veterans and housing services to reduce client travel between multiple county locations.
Marshall Medical Center’s chief of medical affairs, Martin Entwistle, told the board the county’s emergency department saw about 860 behavioral health patients last year, with average stays over 24 hours for some cases, and said the new facility would ease emergency-department burden by improving disposition options.
Board members pressed staff about the compressed timeline and potential county exposure if construction costs exceed the award. Deal repeated that halfway through the project the county must certify it can complete construction with remaining funds, otherwise the county bears any shortfall. Facilities staff said they expect design and construction to be achievable within the timeline but noted state approvals and other external requirements could introduce delays.
“Those are the risks of acceptance — we become responsible for completion of the project within a compressed timeline and we must do it,” Deal said.
Supervisor Parlin moved to approve the staff recommendations, including finding the proposed bond project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, authorizing the chair to sign the program funding agreement and directing staff to execute required agreements and procurements. Supervisor Turnbull seconded; the motion passed on the record.
What’s next: staff will return with contract documents, design work and details on the capital plan and any requested limited-term staffing for grant reporting and project management. The county will also continue coordination with the courts, licensing agencies and state grant administrators as it moves into the design phase.
