Prop 409: Valleywise Behavioral Hospital funding

Proposition 409 and Valleywise Health will ask voters to invest $898 million to build a new, 200-bed behavioral health hospital, rebuild and expand community health centers, expand pediatric and primary care services, and support the training of the next generation of doctors. Valleywise is also our community’s largest provider of inpatient behavioral health care, especially for those with nowhere else to turn. According to Valleywise and Maricopa County, Prop. 409 would cost the average homeowner in Maricopa County approximately $29 per year.

Dr. Michael White, Executive VP & Chief Clinical Officer of Valleywise Health, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss more on the Prop 409 and why Valleywise is in favor of it.

“This is gonna allow us to continue to expand behavioral health services within Maricopa county,” White said.

Valleywise Health is one of the leading providers of mental healthcare for the seriously mental ill. Today, they have a limitation in the number of patients they can care for that need this essential service.

“This bond proposition will allow us to be able to expand double the number of beds we have,” White explained, “…to be able to meet the growing needs that we have…this proposition gives us the resources to do that.”

There are 12 community health centers all over Maricopa County including Avondale, Chandler and Peoria. These community health centers allow access to primary care, as well as mental health care within the community and neighborhoods that they serve.

“We will continue to do that, specifically with Prop. 409,” White said, “…we will be able to redo the facilities that we have in the south central location in Phoenix. As well as the facilities we have in Chandler.”