Los Angeles hospital breaks ground on youth psychiatric center

Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Centers in Los Angeles held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a new hospital wing to service at-risk youth with mental health needs.

"We stand here today not to just break ground on a new adolescent, in-patient, psychiatric center, but we're breaking ground on a new era. A new era of hope and healing for our young people in our community," said Dr. Phil Wong, CEO, Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Centers.

The 27,000-square-foot Echo Park hospital wing will include 37 adolescent inpatient beds. Wong said the center will reach at-risk youth battling eating disorders, substance abuse, gender identity issues, and trauma. "Today we take a giant leap in addressing these critical needs," he said.

The expansion project is supported by a $19.2 million grant from the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. Wong said that every adolescent regardless of background, circumstance, or immigration status, will have access to state-of-the-art services so they have the tools needed for their path to adulthood.

At the ceremony, Los Angeles Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez shared his mental health journey and applauded efforts to invest in care at an early age.  "When constituents call us about homelessness, they aren't talking about what happened to that person at a very early age, what led them down that path, that we could have intervened," he said.

Wong said work in advocacy is ongoing. "We must continue to advocate for increased resources and support for behavioral health services for our youth. We must break down the stigma that surrounds mental health challenges and create a community where our young people feel safe to seek help," he said.