Construction has officially begun on the wellness village.
Earlier this month, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) held a groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of its first wellness village at the northwest corner of Harvill Avenue and Water Street in the unincorporated community of Mead Valley.
“This project represents a milestone in our mission to improve health and wellness for all,” Dr. Matthew Chang, RUHS – Behavioral Health director, said at the June 12 event. “This journey, from conception to today’s groundbreaking, has been one of dedication, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to bettering our community.”
The 18-acre development will include a mental health rehabilitation center, an adult residential facility, adult and children’s behavioral health urgent care centers, crisis residential facilities for both children and adults, a children’s intensive mental health treatment program, outpatient care for children, a sobering center, a recovery residence, supportive transitional housing, primary health care including imagery, dentistry, a pharmacy and a WIC office.
“Five years we’ve been doing this,” Rhyan Miller, deputy director of integrated programs at RUHS – Behavioral Health, said. “So, the reality [of it] coming true? I shed a tear a little bit.”
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The project was previously set to be built in Hemet, but pushback from the city sent RUHS back to the drawing board to find a new location for the first-of-its-kind facility in Riverside County.
“There are moments where I thought we’d never gotten here,” Supervisor Chuck Washington said. “We started in the desert, ended up in my district in Hemet and then finally here. This was always the right location, we just didn’t know it.”
When the new location was approved last summer, Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said he saw “nothing but positives” in bringing the project to his district. Earlier this year, supervisors unanimously approved the funding plan for the project, which is estimated to cost $500 million.
“Mead Valley is a disadvantaged unincorporated community, it’s an environmental justice community, and it’s a community in deep need of infrastructure and services,” he said. “Residents face significant health challenges, not only in Mead Valley, but across the county. This is our, and I say our, the county’s proactive response to this issue.”
The wellness village is expected to open in 2026.
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