Outside the nearly completed Orchard Horizon facility Oct. 7, Hilbers safety coordinator Ashley Carr, from left, Butte County Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue, U.S. Rep. James Gallagher, Orchard Hospital clinical operations director Julie Bunn, behavioral health director Kirstin Storne-Piazza and Hilbers construction superintendent Travis Smith gather for a photo before touring the nearly complete Orchard Horizon youth psychiatric facility.

 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The roof is on, the framework is in place and the hallways are taking shape at Gridley’s new 16-bed youth psychiatric facility. What remained for U.S. Rep. James Gallagher and Butte County Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue to envision during their Oct. 7 tour were the finished details such as comfortable bedrooms, computer desks for continued schooling, colorful murals and welcoming spaces where families can take part in the treatment and recovery of loved ones facing serious mental health conditions.

Orchard Horizon, the approximately 9,200-square-foot building on the Orchard Hospital campus, is about 85% complete, with construction expected to finish in December, officials said.

Kirstin Storne-Piazza, Orchard Hospital’s behavioral health director, said the facility will help fill a critical shortage of inpatient psychiatric care, particularly in rural Northern California, where families have few nearby options when their child requires intensive treatment.

“This is for youth that need assistance,” Storne-Piazza said. “They need help. They're my kids. They're your kids. They're everybody's kids.”

Storne-Piazza and construction manager Travis Smith guided the officials and members of their teams through the building, designed for youth ages 11 to 17 and young adults ages 18 to 24, the latter considered transitional youth under California law. Separate quarters will accommodate both age groups, with medical supervision, psychiatric treatment and therapeutic services available to stabilize their conditions.

Surrounded by unfinished walls at Orchard Horizon, Robin Cook, Butte County Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue and U.S. Rep. James Gallagher on Oct. 7 envision how the space will become a in-patient treatment center for young people struggling with serious mental health conditions.

The idea of bringing psychiatric inpatient treatment closer to home is not new, officials said. For years, severe mental illness and developmental disabilities often meant confinement and neglect in large state hospitals. In the 1960s, federal and state leaders promised a more humane system of community-based care, but the local services meant to replace those institutions never fully materialized.

More than six decades later, Gallagher said the consequences of those reforms remain, particularly in rural communities where the critically ill face long waits in emergency rooms or must be transported great distances to find inpatient psychiatric care.

“This is going to be a great facility,” Gallagher said. “This is a great asset to have here.”

Although located on the Orchard Hospital campus, Orchard Horizon is being established as a standalone nonprofit that will operate independently while maintaining access to the hospital's emergency medical services through a separate agreement.

The building is funded through a $7.9 California Department of Health Care Services grant designated only for construction, leaving the nonprofit responsible for furnishings, equipment and other necessities before patients can be admitted. The facility includes rooms that will accommodate individual counseling, group therapy and family visits. An exercise room, private drone-free outdoor recreation area and full-service kitchen will support daily activities, while a telehealth room will connect patients with therapists or educators.

To fill the gap in start-up funding, Orchard Horizon has been seeking assistance from faith-based groups and other organizations to cover interior furnishings, and pursuing state and federal grants to cover approximately $1.5 million in first-year operating expenses. Storne-Piazza said financial projections indicate the nonprofit facility should become self-supporting by the end of the first year, with rural counties already expressing interest in patient placements.

Gallagher and Kimmelshue offered to help where they can to resolve remaining administrative and funding challenges. Gallagher discussed working with Senator Megan Dahle, while Kimmelshue offered to explore possible county assistance.

Kimmelshue highlighted Butte County's efforts to expand behavioral health services in southern Butte County, where the need is great, including a separate clinic under construction on Sycamore Street. Unlike Orchard Horizon, the county-ran facility will provide outpatient care, including individual and group counseling. It will not offer overnight accommodation.

The Butte County Behavioral Health Advisory Board endorsed Orchard Horizon in June, with the county's behavioral health department committing to coordinate referrals, discharge planning and continued care to help patients transition back to their families, schools and their own communities.

Despite that support, some residents remain uneasy about neighborhood safety, property values and the prospect of bringing patients from outside Gridley for treatment.

Storne-Piazza acknowledged those concerns but emphasized that Orchard Horizon will provide care in a highly secure setting, not operate as a walk-in clinic. Patients will be referred through county behavioral health agencies, including those requiring treatment under California's Lanterman-Petris-Short Act and related laws, which allow involuntary psychiatric intervention when someone poses a danger to themselves or others or cannot meet basic needs because of a serious mental health condition.

Although construction is nearing completion, an opening date has not been established. Furnishings, equipment and final approvals must be secured before patients can be admitted, Storne-Piazza said. Two open houses, one for invited dignitaries and another for the public, are planned before operations begin.