County ponders retrofit of rehab center in Acton

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger today to explore the feasibility of retrofitting or rebuilding the Antelope Valley Rehabilitation Center in Acton to establish an integrated care facility for individuals with substance use and/or mental health conditions.

Barger’s motion described the Antelope Valley as “an under-resourced area of the County with respect to substance use disorder and mental health services, with unique challenges attributable to its remote location related workforce and service access. As a result, ensuring needed behavioral health services for this region is an essential priority.”

The Acton facility was built in 1934 for use as a Conservation Corps work camp, and later used as a tuberculosis isolation facility before being operation as county substance abuse facility.

“Operating as the county’s only directly operated residential rehabilitation center, this facility has been crucial to ensuring the most vulnerable residents have access to robust addiction services,” the motion said.

The LA County Department of Public Health recommended the facility’s permanent closure based on a feasibility study by the Department of Public Works and internal and independent analysis focused on the ongoing operations of the facility, according to the motion.

According to a January report by the Department

of Public Health Division of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased by nearly 50% during the first five months of the pandemic. Similarly, the Department of Public Health Homeless Mortality Report update from January highlighted that drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness. In addition, according to the National Institutes of Health, about half of individuals with mental health conditions will also experience a substance use disorder at some point during their lifetime, and vice versa.

In response, the county is taking steps to increase substance abuse services among the most vulnerable population including expanding access to various harm reduction tactics. These crucial measures must be matched in parallel with sufficient bed access, according to the motion.

“While DPH has identified additional substance abuse treatment beds in the Antelope Valley to exceed previous capacity, the increasing rates of people suffering from co-occurring disorders compels the need for both additional integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment options,” the motion said.

The Board of Supervisors will conduct a virtual meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

To listen by telephone call (877) 873-8017 Enter the access code when prompted. Access Code for English: 111111 Access Code for Spanish: 222222.

To address the Board on all regular agenda items, call 877-226-8163, using participant code 1336503, starting at 9 a.m.

Written public comments may be submitted through the website https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov, which will become part of the official record.

Visit http://bos.lacounty.gov/Board-Meeting/ Live-Broadcast to view via the Web.