I am excited to hear about Montage's plan to build a state of art behavioral and mental health clinic for children at Ryan Ranch in Monterey. Thanks to a 105 million dollar gift from Bertie Bialek Elliott, this facility will offer much needed help for the children of Monterey County. I asked the hospital if this would serve low income children as well as those with ability to pay, and they indicated that they are committing to serving all the children throughout our county regardless of income. The need is critical: according to CHOMP, a survey of Monterey High School students found that 1 in 6 had considered suicide. This project is an example of how working together we can make our community healthier and stronger by helping our children.
The facility will include 16 in-patient beds and will also serve hundreds of out-patient clients.