Project Description
The 401 South Tustin project is operated by the Health Care Agency (HCA) of Orange County and provides centralized mental health services in a campus atmosphere. This project has varied uses that demand durability, sustainability, and an aesthetic quality that will last.
The 401 project replaces an abandoned hospital that was on the site with a new open, inviting campus that includes five new buildings. The site has been revitalized with the new structures that include a Wellness/Peer Support Center, a Staff Center, an Education/Training Center, a 15 bed Crisis Residential Center, and a maintenance building. Each new building was programmed in collaboration with the staff and the patient/users.
The project fundamentally changes the way the mental health patient goes through the HCA system, from recognizing the diagnosis through to wellness by providing multiple service levels at a single source, and HCA can consolidate staff and bring a true program for wellness to the underserved mentally ill population. Clients/patients can voluntarily admit themselves into the Crisis Residential Program 24/7 for short-term crisis intervention with trained staff to help offload hospitalization for acute and chronically mentally ill persons. Once crisis is adverted and treated, they can attend the consumer run Wellness/Peer Support Center that offers assistance with benefits, socialization, employment and self-reliance. This fills the gap in the existing service systems by supporting the now stable patient with recovery. The Education Center provides support to the patients and their families who aspire to a career in mental health while developing skills needed to work in the public mental health system. By consolidating services and introducing a campus solution, HCA has what is believed to be the first of its kind facility in California for improving the lives of the mentally ill.