A Palm Springs behavioral health clinic will be closing by the end of August and transitioning patients over to the eastern Coachella Valley for services.
The San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Behavioral Health Center in Palm Springs, located at 1751 N. Sunrise Way, Suite G, will cease to provide mental health services by Aug. 31. The decision comes after the San Gorgonio Memorial Healthcare District board voted Tuesday, May 26, to close the center as a way to address “long-term operational and financial sustainability challenges,” according to board documents.
Patients will be able to transfer their care over to the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health center in Indio, which opened as the only freestanding, inpatient mental health facility serving the area in 2024. The center has outpatient programs available as well.
The closure of the Palm Springs behavioral health center comes as access to these resources grows more important in the Coachella Valley. About 42.7% of local adults (153,777 people) have either been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and/or had a mental health issue that concerned them in the past year, such as stress, anxiety or depression, according to the 2025 Coachella Valley Community Health Survey conducted by the nonprofit Health Assessment and Research for Communities. Further, 16.7% of people (26,656 people) said they struggled to get care, and 27.4% noted there were factors that prevented them from seeking mental health care, such as financial barriers, work/time constraints, and difficulty finding available and appropriate providers
San Gorgonio Behavioral Health Center faces financial challenges
John G. Peleuses, vice president of ancillary and support services with the hospital, said the Palm Springs building’s lease had expired in October and the price of the lease “went up substantially.” As a result, the hospital found it “inappropriate to continue” operating out of the space.
Since 2015, San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Behavioral Health Center has been an in-patient center that has worked with people who have depression, anxiety, struggles with interpersonal relationships and maintaining symptom stabilization, Peleuses said. There are currently 43 patients, who have individual care plans and take part in various therapy sessions.
However, sustaining the operation has been a challenge, according to board documents. The center reports an annual net revenue of approximately $904,000, but its direct expenses are around $1.3 million, leading to an annual operating loss of $400,000. Renewing the lease would add an additional $40,000 in annual rent, according to the district.
Between now and the end of the August, various California agencies, such as the public health department and Riverside County Behavioral Health, will be notified of the transition, as well as patients and staff members.
Coachella Valley Behavioral Health steps in
As part of the board’s vote, the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health center in Indio will assume care of patients currently receiving services through the Palm Springs program. Patients will have the option to transfer over to the Indio center or to another facility if one is more conveniently located. Byron Bonsall, director of business development at the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health, said initial meetings have begun with both clinics to discuss site tours, potential start dates and how many patients might want to switch over to the facility.
Coachella Valley Behavioral Health is an 80-bed hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults ages 18 and older. It is located at 81-555 JFK Court in Indio, near JFK Memorial Hospital, and is open 24 hours a day. The Indio center opened in 2024 as the only freestanding, inpatient mental health facility serving the area.
“They did not want to say, ‘Well, the program’s closing, there’s the front door, good luck.’ They were never going to do that,” Bonsall said. “Anything that we can do to help patients out, we are all for it.”
The Coachella Valley Behavioral Health center’s outpatient program has been operating and accepting patients for about two months. Patients have consisted of those who have stepped down from the center’s inpatient services, received referrals and those who voluntarily are seeking services, Bonsall said. The outpatient center has its own entrance and space within the facility, as well as transportation services. He did not disclose how many patients are currently enrolled in the program or how many it can take.
Two programs are available: a partial hospitalization program, meant for patients immediately stepping down from an inpatient setting who come in five days a week for about five hours a day (typically two to three weeks long), and an intensive outpatient program, where patients come in about two to three times a week for about three hours (length of time depends on a case-by-case basis). If San Gorgonio patients transfer over to the Indio site, they will be placed in the latter program, Bonsall said.
The outpatient group sessions focus primarily on cognitive (the most widely used form of talk therapy) and dialectical (a type of talk therapy for people who experience emotions very intensely) behavioral therapies with a heavy emphasis on relapse prevention/coping skills, according to Bonsall.
Since the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health center opened over a year ago, various programs have been slowly rolled out. The facility started accepting inpatients in phases, beginning with five beds and voluntary patients, and later also accepting patients on involuntary holds. Bonsall said the hospital is running at capacity or close to capacity most days, and many adults are being deflected each month because there are no beds available.
The center was initially going to accept adolescents, adults and older adults (ages 65 and older), but the adolescents program has been put on hold until more dedicated staff members are hired and due to the high demand for adult services.
What comes next for Palm Springs patients?
Over the coming weeks, prospective patients will come to tour the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health facility so that they can see the layout of the space and “make sure they’re comfortable with it,” Bonsall said. Additional meetings will also take place regarding whether additional staff members need to be hired, such as those who work at San Gorgonio’s Palm Springs site.
The main goal, he added, is to make the transfer as smooth as possible.
“Everybody involved wants to do what is best for the patients,” Bonsall said.
Those interested in seeking resources from the Coachella Valley Behavioral Health can receive a referral from an emergency room, doctor’s office or other programs in the community, or they can walk in voluntarily. For more information, call the director of outpatient care at 442-325-3304 or the main line at 442-372-2300 extension 1.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com, on Twitter @ema_sasic and on Instagram @emasasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs mental health clinic to close. What’s next for patients?
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
