San Joaquin County’s long-anticipated Be Well Campus — a comprehensive behavioral health and substance use treatment facility — received a major boost this week with a $137 million grant awarded by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
The funding, announced Monday, comes from Proposition 1 and the state’s $3.3 billion Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), aimed at expanding mental health care access across California.
The Be Well Campus, to be built on 23 acres in French Camp near San Joaquin General Hospital, will be the first facility in the region to consolidate psychiatric health and substance use treatment under one roof, according to the county. It will reportedly include 172 beds and provide services such as crisis stabilization, detox and sobriety centers, outpatient support for youth and families, and an integrated behavioral health urgent care unit.
“This critical funding allows us to move closer to construction, and ultimately toward opening the Be Well doors for those who need it most,” said Genevieve Valentine, director of the Health Care Services Agency in a press release.
SJ County Board of Supervisors Chair Paul Canepa celebrated the announcement as “a transformational moment for San Joaquin County,” emphasizing the campus’s potential to provide dignified, accessible care and reduce reliance on emergency rooms or incarceration for mental health crises.
Other supervisors echoed the sentiment, noting the facility’s regional importance, especially for youth and underserved areas like Lodi and Stockton.
The Be Well Campus is being developed in response to increasing behavioral health needs in San Joaquin County, county officials say. According to county data, around 60% of emergency room visits are linked to acute substance use disorders, indicating a demand for more targeted treatment options. The county also reports having only six psychiatrists and 16 psychologists per 100,000 residents — figures that fall below state averages.
The state award builds on the supervisors’ April approval of the project’s $261.8 million total budget, which marked the start of the project’s first phase. With this latest grant, the county has secured over $203 million in funding.
Construction is expected to begin in late September following environmental reviews, the county says, with substantial completion slated for July 2027.
This landmark project is backed by a coalition of public and private sources, including opioid settlement funds, health plan contributions, and federal allocations championed by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.