Los Angeles County has opened a new behavioral health facility designed to expand access to crisis intervention and residential recovery services at Los Angeles General Medical Center. The 34,000-square-foot campus brings two treatment functions together within a single facility, creating a connected setting for patients requiring immediate and longer-term support.
Pankow Builders delivered the project in collaboration with Los Angeles County agencies and design partner SmithGroup. County departments involved in the development included Los Angeles County Public Works, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Health.
The new campus includes a Mental Health Urgent Care Center (MHUCC) and a Residential Withdrawal Management Facility (RWMF).
The urgent care component is designed to provide a setting for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, while the residential facility supports patients requiring withdrawal management and a longer period of care.
Bringing the two functions together allows the campus to address different stages of behavioral health treatment within one location. The approach is intended to connect immediate stabilization with continued recovery services.
The facility is located on the Los Angeles General Medical Center campus, integrating the new behavioral health services into an existing major medical complex.
Pankow Builders delivered the facility using a Design-Build delivery model, with SmithGroup serving as the design partner. The project involved coordination among multiple Los Angeles County departments and agencies.
The completed building adds dedicated behavioral health infrastructure to the medical center while providing space specifically configured for urgent and residential treatment needs.
The ribbon-cutting milestone marks the transition of the project from construction into operation and expands the range of behavioral health services available through the Los Angeles General campus.
Behavioral health facilities require specialized spaces that can support crisis response, treatment and recovery while integrating with broader healthcare infrastructure. Combining urgent care and residential withdrawal management within a 34,000-square-foot facility gives public healthcare providers additional dedicated capacity for behavioral health services.
For construction owners and project teams, the project also demonstrates the use of Design-Build delivery for specialized healthcare facilities involving multiple public-sector stakeholders and operational requirements.
Source: Pankow Builders.
