Media Contact: Catherine Bem, catherine.bem@bchd.org or 310-374-3426, ext. 8255
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (March 31, 2022) – Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) received good news when President Joe Biden signed the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package into law earlier this month, which includes $1 million for the allcove Beach Cities center.
Funding for the integrated youth mental health center is one of ten community projects that were requested and championed by Congressman Ted Lieu to serve California’s 33rd Congressional District.
allcove Beach Cities is scheduled to open later this year at 514 N. Prospect Ave. in Redondo Beach, offering mental and physical health resources, education and employment counseling, peer and family support, and substance use prevention programs. The center is the result of a collaboration between the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and Beach Cities Health District.
“I am pleased that the Community Project Funding that I fought for has passed and has become law,” Rep. Lieu said. “Millions of dollars will go directly to projects in Los Angeles County, and I am proud to have worked alongside so many local leaders, like Tom Bakaly at BCHD, to help ensure our community has the resources it needs for a healthier, safer, and more resilient future.”
“All of us at BCHD are extremely grateful to Congressman Lieu for his efforts to make allcove Beach Cities a reality,” said Tom Bakaly, CEO of Beach Cities Health District. “Our youth wellness center will serve a high need we’ve identified in our community for mental health resources focused on young people. allcove Beach Cities will serve and support youth and young adults in a way that has not been available before.”
The allcove model was created by Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences' Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing. Based on an international model of integrated youth mental health, allcove provides a one-stop shop for young people ages 12-25 to access services, resources and support for friends, family and the larger community. allcove Beach Cities will be a safe place for youth that reduces stigma, embraces mental wellness and increases community connection.
When it opens later this year, the center will be in a temporary location on the BCHD campus. allcove Beach Cities will be a permanent feature in phase one of BCHD’s Healthy Living Campus project, which includes a re-design of its current Prospect Avenue campus. Construction on the Healthy Living Campus project is tentatively slated to begin in 2023.
“Beach Cities Health District has been creating a community conversation about allcove for several years, and we’re looking forward to working with them to build a safe and welcoming space for the young people of the South Bay,” said Dr. Steven Adelsheim, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
To learn more about allcove Beach Cities, please visit www.bchd.org/allcoveBeachCities. Once allcove Beach Cities opens its doors, young people will be able to find more information about accessing services at allcove.org.
