Cordilleras Mental Health Center

Transforming the Patient Experience

Cordilleras Mental Health Center provides essential services for San Mateo County residents diagnosed with serious mental illness; but, the existing facility was at the end of its useful life. The center’s two separate treatment programs for adults with chronic mental illness included a licensed, locked mental health rehabilitation center (MHRC) and an adult residential facility (ARF). The deteriorating building operated at a considerable annual expense, had deferred maintenance and upgrades, and no longer supported current treatment practices and support services that promote recovery.

Through visioning sessions with stakeholders, staff, physicians, community, patients, and families, we determined that Cordilleras should be replaced with new facilities to remain operationally viable and provide better patient outcomes. We first helped the county create a master plan to transform Cordilleras into a center for wellness, rehabilitation, and recovery. Using the built and natural environment, best practices for treatment, and the expertise of providers, family members, consumers, and the community, the plan created a greater capacity for MHRC patients to step down to independent living and increases their opportunities for success. Although the operating costs for the new programs and services increase substantially, additional revenue and savings from the new model offsets the increased costs.

HGA planned and programmed six new facilities, including five 16-bed MHRCs, each 10,500 SF in size, and one 37-bed ARF/campus center at 35,100 SF, plus the addition of 18 beds in the near future that all that now meet the requirements for reimbursement of 50% of treatment costs under existing federal laws and regulations.