Children had long wait times for appointments for initial assessment in behavioral health clinics in San Bernardino. It was brought to my attention when I had a family member who needed services quickly. There were efficient teams, but they were overwhelmed with the adult population, substance use disorder recovery services, and other programs within the clinic. I was not sure how to address this until I did those interviews with other stakeholders and realized there was an opportunity to build a children’s wellness center separate from our regular behavioral health clinics.

The County of San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health covers the largest square mile area in the nation at 20,105 square miles. There are very rural places that take a long time to get to and some tele-med services are very beneficial, but children still needed a clinic where the parents could be comfortable, and the children could receive the specialized treatment they needed quickly. The goal was to create that space and make sure urgent services for children were available on the same day.