A new crisis center in Vista is at the forefront of a new approach to mental health care in the county. Exodus Vista opened in October 2021. It is the first stand-alone crisis center in the county and has become the second busiest center behind the county-operated adult facility in the Midway district.
Crisis stabilization centers, as they are known, feature recliners rather than beds and focus on short term treatment for patients.
"So they provide kind of a landing spot for folks who are having a mental health crisis to get some initial treatment and get a nice assessment of their condition before they end up in a more constrained environment," Paul Sisson, health care reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune said.
Sisson joined Midday Edition on Monday to talk about the new care center and its impact on those seeking treatment, as well as the community at large.
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"This facility in Vista allows people to walk in and get some service before they are at a crisis stage and that seems to be very key in terms of helping the entire system operate in a more preventive model instead of waiting for things to get bad before you get help," he said.
If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-8255.
