As reported by the County of San Diego Communications Office, county officials celebrated a major behavioral health milestone on Sept. 14 with the ribbon-cutting for a new Substance Use Residential & Treatment Services (SURTS) center in National City. When the $29 million facility opens this fall, it will be the first in the County to integrate substance use treatment and recuperative care services for adults under one roof.
The center adds 73 residential treatment beds and 16 recuperative care beds, significantly expanding access to timely substance use treatment and safe recovery options in South Bay.
Residential treatment beds will offer 24‑hour care for people with substance use disorders while the recuperative care beds will provide short-term medical support for people recovering from illness or injury who have no safe place to heal. Some patients with co‑occurring conditions may receive both services.
“This Substance Use Residential & Treatment Services center will help smoothly connect people to the treatment they need,” said Jennifer Bransford-Koons, interim director of County Behavioral Health Services. “Instead of leaving the hospital after overdose or injury and managing their next step in care, they can receive in one place the type of extended support that will help reduce future emergency room visits, lower the risk of relapse, prevent homelessness and decrease overall healthcare costs.”
The center is expected to serve about 503 people each year through residential care and provide recuperative care for approximately 167 annually. Services include withdrawal management, medication management and care coordination. Located near Paradise Valley Hospital, the facility will receive referrals directly from the medical center as well as from other places.
The operator will be New Creation Behavioral Healthcare Foundation.
The building was designed to support healing, with shaded outdoor areas, trellises and garden planters, and calming indoor spaces with acoustic treatments and soft lighting. It also meets patient accessibility needs.
Renovations to the previously vacant County building included upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems plus modernized kitchen, laundry, dormitory and office areas. The center uses all‑electric systems, supporting the County’s decarbonization goals.
The new SURTS facility adds 89 beds for Medi‑Cal beneficiaries and supports smoother transitions back into the community. This infrastructure investment is part of the County’s ongoing work to expand behavioral health services for the region’s nearly 900,000 Medi-Cal recipients.
Recent Behavioral Health Continuum of Care additions include a Crisis Stabilization Unit in El Cajon, a Psychiatric Health Facility in Oceanside, a South Bay Crisis Stabilization Unit and expanded Mobile Crisis Response Teams for K‑12 schools. Upcoming projects include a Children’s Crisis Residential Care facility in Kearny Mesa, an Acute Psychiatric Hospital in Santee and the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus in the Midway district.
