Board of Supervisors should approve Templeton psychiatric hospital

The county Planning Commission made the right decision when it unanimously approved an application for a psychiatric hospital in Templeton. We urge county supervisors to do the same when they hear the case on appeal Tuesday.

The appeal, filed on behalf of a group called Concerned Citizens Preventing Unintended Consequences, presents a laundry list of weak arguments against the facility, all of which are refuted in county staff’s excellent report. We don’t have space to cover all the arguments here, but we will outline some of the concerns raised in the appeal, and why we don’t believe they justify denying the project:

▪  Planning staff and the Planning Commission failed to consider the Templeton Area Advisory Group’s 7-0 rejection of the project — an “obvious disregard,” according to the appeal.

Not so, according to the county staff report. The advisory group’s letter was entered into the record and was considered by both staff and commission. Besides, the appeal disregards an important fact: The advisory group is exactly that — advisory. Decision-makers are under no obligation to agree with their advisory councils, and in fact, it’s not uncommon for elected officials to reject the recommendations of their advisers.

▪  The project will have a significant negative impact on the Sheriff’s Office.

A letter from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office acknowledges that it is understaffed — there currently is one deputy per 967 people, when the recommended level of staffing is one per every 750. The project will add to the “cumulative effect of community growth and the need for additional law enforcement staffing,” the letter adds.

But it does not say the project will have a “significant negative impact,” nor does it recommend denying the application. In fact, when we contacted Sheriff Ian Parkinson about the project, he offered this statement: “The Sheriff’s Office scope on this project is limited to security issues only. And as such, we have no reason to believe at this time that it presents a security concern.”

▪  “The Templeton Fire Department may not be able to access the structures due to the height of the buildings.”

According to the county staff report, Twin Cities Hospital, located directly across from the project site, is taller than the proposed psychiatric hospital.

▪  “The proposed mental facility will not provide outpatient service to its patients. There are virtually no mental health support services operating in the Templeton area.”

This is a head-scratcher. First, there are several psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors listed in the Templeton/Atascadero area. And second, since when did it become the routine job of a hospital to provide ongoing outpatient care? It isn’t. Upon release from the facility, patients will return to their home communities and be referred back to their personal physicians.

▪  The Templeton Unified School District will be obligated to educate school-age patients and will suffer “substantial negative impact” as a result.

The county staff report notes that the average stay at the hospital will be 10 to 14 days, and it’s “extremely unlikely” children from out of the area would enroll in the Templeton district during their hospital stays.

▪  Approximately half of SLO County residents will not be eligible to be treated at the facility. Adults who are covered by Medi-Cal or are uninsured will not be served, unless they pay out of pocket. Nor will the hospital treat patients whose primary diagnosis is drug and alcohol abuse.

We wonder, would opponents be more inclined to support the hospital if it did open its doors to virtually everyone? Based on their objections, we highly doubt it. Given the extreme lack of inpatient mental health care facilities in our county, any addition at all should be welcomed.

Instead, opponents are asking the Board of Supervisors to turn down the facility because it’s too big, is out of character for the community and will put too much of a strain on local resources.

But as the county staff report so eloquently points out, Templeton Community Hospital is more than 175,000 square feet — compared with the proposed psychiatric hospital’s 70,000 square feet.

“No other substantial developments in the immediate area have been examined so closely or treated so strictly,” the report states.

It also rightly notes that concerns — such as those raised by the Templeton Area Advisory Group — seem to focus on the type of patient using the facility.

That’s a big problem. Laws protect patients from discrimination. There cannot be one set of rules for heart or cancer patients and another set for patients seeking treatment for bipolar disorder.

The county Planning Commission recognized that, and it acted accordingly. We strongly urge the Board of Supervisors to do the same.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 7:01 AM with the headline "Board of Supervisors should approve Templeton psychiatric hospital."