New 24-hour mental health center opens in Palm Springs
Mental health services in Palm Springs was given a boost Monday when a 24-hour urgent care mental health center held its grand opening. The center will serve as a resource for patients in the West Valley.
The facility is operated by a contractor with the County of Riverside and is equipped for services such as psychiatric help. There are interview rooms for diagnosis and quiet rooms in a case patient wanted to keep to themselves as they recovered. According to county staff, the facility could take in 12 patients at the same time.
“We wanted to make sure that we were providing further services out here in the Palm Springs or the western end of the Coachella Valley,” Michelle DeArmond, chief of staff for county supervisor John Benoit.
The facility will also help alleviate the workload from local hospitals which could be overwhelmed at times with calls for mental health services.
“They’re taking up a hospital bed, they’re in there taking resources and maybe not necessarily getting the attention that they need right away because hospitals have other emergencies to tend to,” DeArmond said. “It’s an opportunity for them to come in and receive that really specialized mental health care that they need.”
Staff at the facility said they had already treated over 30 patients since it had its soft opening in October. It expects to see about 300 patients each month at the facility.
