Orange County is taking another big step forward with plans to build its own mental health and psychiatric emergency center that will transform the mental health services delivery system for Orange County residents. On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved an $18 million proposal for the OC Wellness Hub, a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership that will provide mental health treatment to all residents of Orange County. The $18 million in Mental Health Services Act dollars will increase crisis services and substance use disorder services, access to underserved communities, improving system navigation to the appropriate level of care; and leveraging technology and partner collaborations among behavioral health service providers. The OC Wellness Hub will also address the challenge of accessing services due to payer source by accepting all types of insurance. In March 2018, the County of Orange spent $7.8 million to purchase a former school building located at 265 Anita Street in Orange and an additional $16.6 million for construction costs — with a plan to build a state-of-the-art mental health facility focused on access to mental, behavioral health, and substance abuse services. Read more about it in Supervisor Do’s press release. 
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