State awards Bakersfield $22.8M for substance abuse treatment facility to be run by Kern County
Bakersfield has been granted $22.8 million in state money to turn a hotel on Wible Road into a 65-bed substance abuse treatment facility to be operated by the county of Kern's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Department.
The facility is expected to offer residence free of charge to uninsured or Medi-Cal beneficiaries and their families for periods averaging about three months. Besides individual and group counseling to address opioid and other addictions, adult residents including perinatal women will receive instruction on parenting and job readiness.
Six similar facilities in the county offer a total of 109 beds, but demand for their services is so high that wait times for men or women can be up to three weeks, Director Alison Burrows of the county's BHRS department said.
"We've been trying for years to expand substance use treatment for residents," she said Tuesday. "This is incredibly exciting to us."
The grant — Bakersfield's largest in at least a decade — was among a series of awards announced this week by the Newsom administration. It gave out $3.3 billion in grants estimated to create more than 5,000 residential treatment beds and over 21,800 outpatient treatment slots, all of them funded by bond proceeds from Proposition 1, approved by state voters in March 2024. Bakersfield was among just four cities awarded grants under the program.
Plans for the local facility deepen an existing partnership between the city and the BHRS Department, which already staffs a call center diverting about 70% of calls to 911.
The city has agreed to dedicate the grant money to building the facility and then pay for its upkeep through opioid settlement revenue that now comes to $300,000 per year. The county's role will be to use Medi-Cal reimbursements to cover the facility's estimated $4 million per year in operating expenses.
By the city's estimate, an average of 110 people every month are diagnosed by BHRS as eligible to enter a residential treatment facility for substance abuse. Assistant City Manager Anthony Valdez said the problem is that few people can afford to enroll in programs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Expectations are that the facility will open by July 2026 at the Country Inn & Suites at 2310 Wible Road.
Burrows said the family-housing aspect of the new facility is novel. She said conversations with service providers at existing residential centers indicated a need for places where patients can live with their partners and children while receiving treatment.
"This new facility will allow that," she said, adding that the property will have a child-care center and outdoor space.
Residents will be able to leave, Burrows said, but exits and entries will be monitored and there may be periods when patients can leave only for scheduled appointments. She noted there will be fencing and security to protect residents and neighbors.
California expanded Medi-Cal eligibility about five years ago to cover the full cost of stays in residential substance treatment facilities. But Burrows said the county may need to help cover some of the difference between what Medi-Cal pays and what the facility actually costs to run.
While residence at the facility will never be mandatory, she said, there will be referrals through a 2023 state law that adjusted conservatorship provisions. Also, some patients may be sent to the facility as an alternative to incarceration under last year's Proposition 36.
Secretary Kim Johnson of the California Health & Human Services Agency said in a news release the grants mark a critical milestone in the state's efforts to transform its behavioral health system.
"Through these awards, we are investing in bold, community-driven solutions that expand access to care, promote equity and meet people where they are," she stated.
Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh said in a news release the city is grateful to the state and the county for the "unprecedented partnership" expanding access to treatment.
"We cannot stand by while many of our families are severely hurt by the nation's opioid crisis," she stated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Cuts at what cost? Childhood care and education leaders weigh in on spending bill's impacts
( — As the Senate continues to debate the passage of the 'Big, Beautiful Bill', California leaders in early childhood care and education are anticipating the impacts of looming federal cuts. Bianca Ventura sat down with First 5 California and Child Care Resource Center representatives on Wednesday. The two organizations have been advocating for California children and families on Capitol Hill. Though they've seen bipartisan support in preserving children's resources like Head Start, they say potential cuts to Medi-Cal and nutritional programs like SNAP could impact children's overall health. 'There are huge cuts proposed in the House reconciliation package to the Medicaid program,' said Vice President of the Child Care Resource Center, Donna Sneeringer. 'Many of those recipients are young children. I think one of the things that we have been trying to speak with lawmakers about, as well as with the public, is that this will not just impact those who are receiving those services through Covered California. They are going to impact our overall health care system. Particularly our rural health care system, our hospitals. It will impact our emergency room services. Everyone's care will become harder to come by and more expensive.' If federal investments are rolled back on health services, food support, and child care, the experts we spoke with anticipate that some of the costs will be shifted. Possibly putting the burden on employers to provide access to health care. 'A lot of businesses, because they are also struggling themselves with the affordability crisis and materials. They can't necessarily afford the robust health care that their employees deserve,' said First 5 California Executive Director, Jackie Wong. 'However, a lot of their employees are likely on Medicaid.' Wong adds that many of those employees work entry-level positions that the state relies on to support the economy. As for education, when we last checked in with leaders in early childhood development and care. President Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education was still in effect. Since then, a federal judge blocked the administration's efforts to eliminate the department while ordering the rehiring of employees who were fired in mass layoffs. Yet, Wong tells us cuts within the department have made it difficult to carry out administrative tasks, like completing payments to Head Start providers. She even learned of cuts to certain programs the last time she traveled to Washington D.C. to speak with Congressional leaders. 'While we were there, actually, we had gotten wind that grants to steward mental health got cut,' said Wong. 'They are actually, in real time, pulling back and clawing back their investments that actually have supported young learners, as well as our students and our student community.' As for what's next? Representatives with First 5 California and the CCRC are going to continue their advocacy in Washington D.C. CCRC is currently collecting stories in hopes of sharing them with congressional lawmakers who want to hear the impacts of federal funding cuts firsthand. Families and caregivers are encouraged to share their testimonies of how they are making ends meet while navigating food costs, health and child care, along with living expenses. You can find more details and pass along your story to state representatives by visiting Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Millions of Californians who rely on Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services could lose eligibility
VIDEO | 01:28 Millions of Californians who rely on Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services could lose eligibility
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Ambulance rides in San Diego just got more expensive — this is why
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — For the fifth year in a row, the City of San Diego is raising its ambulance transport fees — this time by 18% over the next three years. But city leaders insist: most patients won't be impacted. The San Diego City Council approved the increase unanimously Tuesday, pushing the total hike since 2021 to just over 32%, according to reporting from The San Diego Union-Tribune. The cost for the most advanced level of ambulance service will rise from $3,151 to $3,717. Despite the eye-popping numbers, city officials say the increase will mostly impact insurance companies, not patients. Only about 11% of ambulance patients — those with private insurance — may be affected, The San Diego Union-Tribune also reported. Patients with Medicare, Medi-Cal or no insurance won't see any change, thanks to a state law — AB 716 — that caps those charges at fixed rates. Celebrities spotted running in San Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Councilmember Marni von Wilpert emphasized the hikes are tied to increasing costs from the city's private ambulance providers — Falck USA and American Medical Response (AMR) — who are billing the city $4.7 million more this coming fiscal year. 'We need to make sure we are doing the most competitive cost containment for our residents and delivering the best service,' von Wilpert said. The rising fees come as the city reconsiders how it runs emergency medical services. While a recent partnership with Falck and AMR has been financially successful, city leaders are exploring whether to bring ambulance services in-house — something cities like Los Angeles and, more locally, Chula Vista have already done. The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that Fire Chief Robert Logan said any move toward a city-run ambulance service would start slowly, possibly beginning with low-level emergency calls, while private companies continue handling life-threatening situations. In a twist, this year's rate hike — like last year's — skipped a required committee review before heading to the full council. That move appears to violate council policy, though no council member appeared to raise concerns during the vote. As the debate over who should run San Diego's ambulances continues, one thing's clear: the cost of care is rising — even if most patients won't see the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
