Supported by an unprecedented $105 million gift from Bertie Bialek Elliott, the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula will establish Ohana to create an innovative approach to child and adolescent mental and behavioral health that will serve as a national model. The need is acute: about 1 in 3 students experience some symptoms of depression or anxiety and Monterey County has no child inpatient psychiatric beds. The program will include facilities and staff for both outpatient and inpatient care, crisis support, and prevention programs in the community. Ohana has already begun hiring staff and is offering referrals, group therapy, and skill-building services. The Ohana facility is expected to break ground late this year, with construction completed in 2022.
