First New Mental Health Hospital--in 50 Years

The first new mental health hospital in more than 50 years opened today. That would be before Kennedy was president and before Eisenhower’s famous military-industrial complex speech. The Coalinga building is located adjacent to the Pleasant Valley State Prison (an Orwellian name, for sure). The hospital will treat “mostly sexually violent predators.” "The maximum-secured forensic facility will ultimately hold up to 1,500 patients, both sexually violent predators and seriously mentally ill inmates from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation." Sounds like somwhere to avoid on weekends. The funds for the hospital were authorized in the 1999-2000 budget (remember, back before the lean years). After sifting through 29 possible sites, they settled on Coalinga—and now, after four years and $388 millio, we have a mental health hospital.