It’s time to take a stand for rural Rescue, California!
A pair of Substance Abuse Disorder facilities for mental health and substance abuse treatment are planned for two rural residential parcels off Deer Valley Road. A third facility and wellness center are slated for Shingle Springs. Let’s start right here by stating that the goals of these facilities are extremely worthy, and we are not against the development of these kinds of facilities. We are very much against developing them in rural residential areas, far away from services and emergency support they will need.
This quiet corner of El Dorado County (EDC) will be hammered by major impacts. Dangerous traffic. Urban-style commercial structures in a rural residential community. An end-run around local planning and zoning laws jeopardizing the safety of the community. Patients imported from a distant county. An unfunded drain on county services. Dangerous traffic impacts. A potential spike in crime. Noise and parking headaches. This effort is forcing a square peg into a round hole.
What would be built?
Through a state grant and sweeping new California government program, a nonprofit commercial developer is planning up to two 15+ bed Substance Abuse Disorder facilities off Deer Valley Road. One 10,000 sq. ft. facility is slated to provide perinatal (pregnancy) services along with substance abuse/mental health treatment. A second care facility is stated to have 15 beds. As many as 200 patients a year will be imported from predominantly San Joaquin County, or anywhere in California. Two additional facilities, targeting 250 patients/yr, are planned in Shingle Springs, CA. The developer and managing care provider don’t have experience with these types and scale of facilities.
This development does not make sense for the future patients of these proposed facilities!
Patients are being transported into EDC from predominantly San Joaquin County (as well as all around California). They are being moved hundreds of miles to a facility that is far away from medical services, is in the highest fire risk severity in California, has no city water or sewer services, and is accessible only through dangerous roads.
Why oppose this project?
Patients will have a poor experience due to this location. Neighbors will feel immediate impacts. El Dorado County (EDC) resources will be consumed for imported patients. Undertaken via a new state law that circumvents community opposition, this project raises serious concerns about local control not just in EDC, but for counties all over California.
This development does not make sense for Rescue. and El Dorado County!
While the mission of community mental health and substance abuse treatment is laudable, such efforts need to be undertaken with care and attention to the community. This plan puts patients in an unsuitable location. The proposal depends on EDC services to support San Joaquin County patients (based on press releases). El Dorado County rules and regulations are being bypassed. The State is approving this project without County control of zoning and planning requirements. It’s simple: The planned Rescue locations cannot support commercial facilities of this scale.
This Could Happen Anywhere in the State of California!
If you live in California, this exact situation can happen to you, and your community. Our state legislators are writing into law the ability of a state analyst to decide whether a development fits into any parcel, or community. Recent laws have been written to allow a state agency to override County/City/Community zoning on new developments funded through these programs! That empty parcel in your neighborhood could easily be turned into a commercial medical substance abuse facility, or homeless shelter. The entire nature of your neighborhood can be changed without your voice, or your community’s existing identity, being considered. It is important we use community to fight these projects when they do not fit the community and burden the surrounding infrastructure and services.
Get more details through these links:
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Recommended Solutions?
We recognize there is a pressing need for facilities like these, but they must be placed in appropriate locations. Our recommendation for these facilities is the following:
- Utilize parcels that have access to appropriate resources and services. Roads that can support the traffic. Areas of reduced fire risk. Parcels that have adequate water and sewage capabilities. Locations that are close to medical facilities and have short response times for emergency services (police, fire, ambulance).
- Location that is close the patients being served. If patients are predominantly from a certain area, it makes sense that they should be located within that county. If privacy is needed, find an appropriate location within the county that offers privacy, but isn’t too far from where the patients are based. This allows local resources to service these patients, reduced travel burdens for staff and patients, and personal support networks are close by (if needed).
- Fits the community where the facilities are being built. There are many examples of community care centers that “fit right in” within the community where they are built. Facilities should ensure that they can blend in with the surrounding neighbors in order to provide a win/win solution for both the patients and the community.
Based on these criteria, why wouldn’t these facilities, and their patients, be better served with a location in San Joaquin County, with city sewer/water, and close to medical facilities? It is hard to understand why the developer / managing care provider chose these parcels in El Dorado County for these facilities.
This is a complex planned project. We are leveraging all available public information to make the statements on this website, and we want to make sure you have access to this data as well. The page below will provide you the details, to the best of our knowledge. We will continue to update this site to reflect the latest information we have.
Make your opinion count. Donate here, Contact county and state leaders.
Once you have read the above links, consider donating through our GoFundMe to help us fund legal efforts to get these facilities moved to a more appropriate location. Consider adding your voice by placing a phone call, writing an email or letter, to ensure our county and state leaders know how you feel about this. Here are some suggested contacts and talking points:
Rescue Deer Valley! 