California Surgeon General visits Ohana’s new campus

Ohana’s new campus opens later this fall where the program’s existing youth mental health services will expand in an innovative new space. Dr. Diana Ramos, California Surgeon General, met with Montage Health leadership in late September to tour the campus and talk about youth mental health innovations happening at Ohana and in other areas of the state.

Ramos lists adolescent mental health, adverse childhood experiences, and toxic stress in children among her priorities. Ramos’ work on the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, a $4.7 billion investment, aims to improve mental health services for the next generation.

“My visit to Ohana was a powerful reminder that family can look and mean different things to different people,” Ramos says, “Ohana realizes the important role the entire community plays in healing physically and mentally and is filling an urgent need for youth and families.”

One in five young people in the United States suffers from some form of mental health disorder. When youth are struggling with their mental health, the entire family feels the pain, which is why caring for the whole family is at the heart of the Ohana model. Built on the idea that mental illness is always treatable and can often be prevented, Ohana helps youth develop resilience and mental fitness.

“Monterey County communities have a glaring need for more child and family mental health services,” says Dr. Steven Packer, President and CEO of Montage Health, Ohana’s parent organization. “Dr. Ramos’ visit highlights all that Ohana does to address that need, and how expansion at our new campus will elevate Ohana’s critical services.”

"It was an honor to have Dr. Ramos visit Ohana's new campus,” says Dr. Susan Swick, Ohana’s Executive Director. “We had an exciting discussion about youth mental health and the power of prevention and family-centered care, from pregnancy through young adulthood."

Shaped by neuroscience research and developed by a leading global architecture firm, the Ohana campus is designed to instill in young people a sense of possibility by making them feel engaged, connected, safe, and supported. The campus features sweeping views of nature, rounded edges and natural materials, refuge spaces, gardens for therapy and cooking, private patios for caregivers to recharge, and integration with the site’s terraced landscape.

“The combination of outpatient therapy with a strong family-involvement focus, integration with the school systems, community preventive engagement and education, along with adolescent residential care, operationalizes a holistic model that can lead to more positive outcomes for those it serves,” Ramos says. “I left feeling hopeful and inspired.”

Learn more about Ohana’s new campus, including its sustainable design, and see photos.