SANTA BARBARA - Santa Barbara County supervisors have given an early nod to a unique idea to add badly needed overnight, lockup psychiatric care beds in the northern county.
A unanimous Board of Supervisors agreed to spend $15,000 on a feasibility study for the proposed public-private partnership facility in Santa Maria.
The plan would be to convert the soon-to-be-vacated Marian Medical Center West facility on East Plaza Drive that is currently being leased by Marian Regional Medical Center.
Santa Barbara County currently has just 16 overnight, lockup beds for urgent psychiatric care all at its facility near Santa Barbara.
That's about half what experts say is needed for the county's adult population of 300,000 adults.
5th District County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino tells Central Coast News Santa Barbara County is contracting out for additional urgent psychiatric care bed space in Ventura County at a cost of more than $1 million a year.
The feasibility study will determine the county's cost of partnering with Marian Regional Medical Center to operate an overnight, lockup psych ward at the East Plaza Drive location in Santa Maria.
