San Diego Gets $99.5 Million for Dual Diagnosis Treatment

San Diego County has formally accepted a $99.5 million state grant to build a new dual diagnosis treatment campus in the Midway District. While the county, and California in general, boasts a wide selection of programs for behavioral health and substance misuse, officials say the future Behavioral Health Wellness Campus will reshape how the region delivers mental health and drug treatment to thousands of residents who often face both conditions at the same time.

The funding comprises the largest single award in the second round of California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program under Proposition 1. The future site on Rosecrans Street will replace a roughly 60-year-old county health complex that has sat vacant for four years.

Mental Health and Addiction Connected

Behavioral Health Services Director Nadia Privara Brahms noted that the finished campus will offer 210 treatment slots that cover a full range of mental health and substance use services. 

Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said the project will cut wait times, intervene before crises happen rather than only respond to them, and let people get the care they need without being routed between separate facilities. She noted the campus will bring mental health and addiction services together in one place for over 20,000 residents each year, including unhoused veterans and justice-involved residents trying to overcome addiction.

The funding package presented to the Board also shifted $14.35 million in Behavioral Health Impact funds as part of a joint effort between the City of San Diego and the larger county to support behavioral health construction projects inside city limits. 

At a time when state legislators have proposed cutting funds to mental health providers, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria pointed to cities’ frontline role in responding to behavioral health and substance use crises. The partnership is a way to grow treatment capacity, connect more residents to care, and strengthen behavioral health services across all 18 cities in the county.

Treatment Approaches in San Diego

Set to break ground in 2028, the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus will feature five core services designed for people with mental health and substance use conditions. The integrated model will have:

• Crisis stabilization offering immediate and short-term care for adults who experience a behavioral health emergency.
• Mental health rehabilitation centers for folks transitioning out of hospital-level care.
• A peer-focused social rehabilitation unit for intensive short-term care with support groups.
• A residential substance use disorder treatment center offering adults safe and structured environments for recovery.
• An outpatient community health clinic for adults with mental health or co-occurring conditions.

The campus is expected to open its doors in spring 2031.

Understanding Dual Diagnosis Options

Dual diagnosis, also called co-occurring disorders, describes a situation where a person experiences a mental health condition, such as depression, alongside a substance use disorder. Oftentimes, conditions like depression can even fuel addictions. 

Treating these conditions separately is often less effective than addressing them together, since untreated mental health symptoms can drive substance use, and substance use can worsen psychiatric symptoms. Integrated care, like the model San Diego County is planning, allows clinicians to coordinate therapy, medications for substance abuse, and crisis support across both conditions instead of routing patients between disconnected systems.

Comprehensive mental health treatment programs typically offer a range of care. The customizable plans all depend on each person’s needs. Residential treatment provides 24-hour structured support for individuals stabilizing from a crisis or early in recovery, while partial hospitalization programs allow people to continue therapy and medication management while living at home or in supportive housing.

Evidence-based therapies commonly used in dual diagnosis settings include behavioral therapy to help patients identify and change harmful thought and emotion patterns. Many programs also incorporate trauma-informed therapy and medication management, since care teams often need to coordinate psychiatric medications and substance use treatment.

Comprehensive Treatment Beyond San Diego

For residents who need support now, comprehensive residential treatment centers and outpatient programs already operate throughout the San Diego region and beyond. Facilities offering dual diagnosis treatment programs can address anxiety and substance use within a single coordinated plan rather than separate, disconnected services.

If you or a loved one is managing a mental health condition alongside substance use, call 800-908-4823 (Sponsored) to speak with a treatment specialist or browse our listings page for mental and behavioral health treatment facilities across the country.

Author

Nikki Wisher, BA

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Nikki Wisher is an Atlanta-based content writer who specializes in health and wellness. After earning her BA in English, she has been writing in the health and wellness space for over a decade, with credits ranging from addiction recovery to fitness to aesthetics and skin care. This includes her inclusive running blog forallrunners.com.

Editor

Peter Lee, PhD

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Peter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history during the Cold War. His primary focus is the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century. He has published widely on how the public has used popular culture as a mechanism to address political and social shifts throughout time