Public Notice: Change in Service for Senior Behavioral Health

In accordance with California Health and Safety Code Section 1255.25 and Senate Bill 1300 (SB1300), UC San Diego Health is providing public notice of a proposed change in service involving the closing of its Senior Behavioral Health (SBH) Inpatient Unit at our Hillcrest Medical Center located at 200 W. Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103 and relocating these SBH services to its East Campus Medical Center located at 6655 Alvarado Road, San Diego, CA 92120.

  • Facility: UC San Diego Health, Hillcrest Medical Center.
  • Service Affected: SBH Inpatient Unit.
  • UC San Diego Health will be relocating senior behavioral health inpatient services to East Campus Medical Center in August 2025, integrating patients currently being cared for at Hillcrest Medical Center into the growing East Campus behavioral health hub.
  • The relocation allows for current senior behavioral health resources to be congregated in a clinically appropriate medical-psychiatric inpatient unit on a UC San Diego Health campus that also offers expanded outpatient services, new partial hospital programs and home-based care.
  • The transition aims to improve access, streamline care delivery, and better meet the behavioral health needs of the region.
  • Proposed Effective Date: No sooner than 120 days from the first date of this notice (May 1, 2025).
  • The SBH Inpatient Unit, consisting of 14 beds, provided inpatient treatment for a variety of behavioral health conditions commonly experienced by older adults, as categorized under Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MSDRGs); these included a broad mix of psychiatric conditions managed in an acute care setting.
  • The SBH inpatients served over the past five years have been covered by Medicare, Medi-Cal, and commercial insurance plans.
  • Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, the SBH Inpatient Unit discharged over 1,100 patients, averaging approximately 244 discharges and 190 unique individuals per year. Patients were primarily aged 65 and older and represented a racially and ethnically diverse population, with the majority identifying as White/Caucasian and a portion of patients choosing not to disclose demographic information.
  • Aggregate demographic and service data will be shared with Medi-Cal managed care plans in compliance with SB1300.
  • Potential impacts may occur to less than 50 employment positions which will be prioritized for re-deployment within UC San Diego Health where possible.
  • UC San Diego Health will continue to provide inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services at Hillcrest Medical Center (age >18) and East Campus Medical Center (age >50).

The closest comparable facilities offering inpatient geriatric behavioral health services are:

San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital (3 miles)
3853 Rosecrans Street, San Diego, CA 92110

Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital (5 miles)
7850 Vista Hill Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123

Paradise Valley Hospital – Bayview Behavioral Health Campus (14 miles)
330 Moss Street, Chula Vista, CA 91911

The facilities are contracted with Medi-Cal, Medicare and various commercial insurance plans for inpatient behavioral health services.

  • A public hearing will be scheduled within 60 days; details will be posted at https://health.ucsd.edu/policies-notices
  • Comments may be submitted to: govtcomm@ucsd.edu
  • UC San Diego Health may be reached at 858-657-7000