After years of limited access to in- county psychiatric care for youth, Santa Clara County is preparing to open the new Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Facility. The facility, part of the Behavioral Health Services Center, is set to open in spring 2026 on the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus in San Jose, and will provide both inpatient and outpatient care.
The project aims to address longstanding gaps in youth mental health care, as demand for psychiatric beds continues to outpace availability. According to Palo Alto Online, Stanford Health professionals are stressing the need for expanded local mental health treatment options.
The effort traces back to 2010, when Palo Alto resident Sigrid Pinsky learned during a county advisory board meeting that children in psychiatric crises were routinely being sent outside the county for treatment. Due to a severe shortage of psychiatric beds, patients were transported to facilities in Marin County, Bakersfield and across the East Bay…