Media Contact: Catherine Bem, catherine.bem@bchd.org or 310-374-3426, ext. 8255
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (March 9, 2022) – Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is partnering with allcove, a program developing an innovative network of integrated youth mental health centers across the state of California. Funded by the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, the $2 million, 4-year grant will establish “allcove Beach Cities,” a youth wellness center initially opening 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. BCHD was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to apply for the funds.
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 mental health 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.
allcove Beach Cities will be one of several new allcove locations throughout the state. The first two allcove centers opened in June 2021 in Palo Alto and San Jose, California.
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.
Data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (2021), a measure of student health, shows how youth mental health was affected this past year.
• 45% of Beach Cities 11th graders reported chronic sad or hopeless feelings in the past 12 months
• 16% of Beach Cities 9th graders reported seriously considering attempting suicide in the past 12 months
“Our Youth Wellness Center will serve a high need we’re seeing in our community for mental health resources for young people,” said Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly. “In partnership with allcove, we have a unique opportunity to meet this need and support our students and young adults in a way that hasn’t been available before.”
To localize the center and reflect the unique needs of South Bay youth, the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition, made up of more than 200 students, parents, teachers, mental health providers and community members, is assisting with the facility’s planning and programming. The group met to help define which programs and services could best serve local youth in the new center. As part of the coalition, BCHD’s Youth Advisory Council, a group of students in grades 8-12, has already toured the proposed space for the new project.
To ensure that youth voices continue to be at the forefront of the allcove Beach Cities center experience, recruitment for a dedicated group of 16-25-year-old advisors is currently underway. The Youth Advisory Group members will help allcove Beach Cities gain a better understanding of young peoples’ needs and opinions to provide them with relevant and effective services. The Youth Advisory Group will be comprised of up to 15 young people from the local community of the Beach Cities and surrounding areas.
“Cultural integrity and service integration are vital to the allcove model. We try to keep the community’s culture in the forefront of our minds when tailoring health services that suit the needs of our community and neighbors,” said Alex J., Beach Cities Health District Youth Advisory Council member and the statewide Central allcove Team Youth Advisory Group member.
The Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition Steering Committee, made up of local health providers, met with Dr. Steven Adelsheim from Stanford’s Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing and Toby Ewing from the California Mental Health Services and Oversight and Accountability Commission to discuss how they can further support the development and rollout of allcove Beach Cities.
“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 & behavioral sciences at Stanford and director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
For more information about allcove Beach Cities, as well as the Youth Advisory Group application, 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.
About Beach Cities Health District
Beach Cities Health District (BCHD), named the 2021 “Healthcare District of the Year” by the Association of California Healthcare Districts, is focused on preventive health and serves the communities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. Established in 1955 as a public agency, it offers an extensive range of dynamic health and wellness programs, with innovative services and facilities to promote health and prevent diseases across the lifespan. BCHD also operates AdventurePlex, a health and fitness facility where kids play their way to good health, and the Center for Health & Fitness, a comprehensive fitness center that is the only Medical Fitness Association-certified facility in California. Visit www.bchd.org or call (310) 374-3426 for more information.
About allcove
Pursuing a vision where every youth belongs, chooses the support they need and thrives, allcove is developing an innovative network of integrated youth mental health centers designed with, by and for youth that reduce stigma, embrace mental wellness, increase community connection and provide access to culturally responsive services. allcove centers are anchored in a model of care that considers the holistic needs of young people. We welcome young people between the ages of 12 and 25, providing a place to take a moment of pause and access a range of services that include mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, family support, and supported education and employment. allcove centers are designed to create meaningful, positive experiences for every young person who comes through our doors. For more information, please visit allcove.org.
