State approves sale of Victorville-based St. John of God Health Care Services facility
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The sale of St. John of God Health Care Services to San Bernardino County has been conditionally approved by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The Victorville facility is the only one offering substance use disorder treatment and recovery services in the High Desert region, according to state officials. The nearly 30-acre property is located at 13333 Palmdale Road, east of Silverado High School.
“St. John’s Victorville facility provides invaluable substance use disorder treatment services for communities in the High Desert region,” Attorney General Bonta said. “Its patients deserve continued access to the care and treatment they need in order to heal, and live happy, healthy lives."
Under California law, any transaction involving the sale or transfer of control of a nonprofit healthcare facility must secure the approval of the attorney general, who announced the sale on Monday.
The facility has 66 treatment and recovery beds and an additional 16 beds to house children of patients.
The conditional approval also names Phoenix House Orange County, Inc. as the new operator of the property starting Jan. 1, 2024. Phoenix House is a nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization operating nationwide, including in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
"After a thorough review process, I am confident that the conditions I have imposed on the sale will protect the well-being of the residents and ensure that their access to these critical services and care remains uninterrupted," he stated.
The conditions imposed by Bonta include:
Maintaining, at a minimum, the same type and level of services being provided to residents.
Certification to provide services to Medi-Cal patients.
Maintaining and continuing to employ staff who are in good standing.
Complying with nondiscrimination rules in the provision of services.
A history of restoration
The St. John facility is owned and operated by the Brothers of St. John of God who built a legacy of providing care for the sick and suffering for over 450 years, the nonprofit reported.
Their mission is to serve those in need while offering hospitality and dignity to restore wellness of the body, mind and spirit.
In 1985, St. John began providing assistance and services to those who are struggling with addiction, poverty, and various other abuse and withdrawal issues.
Other services included Samaritan’s Helping Hand, which operated one of the High Desert’s largest food pantries. It also provided utility payment assistance, diapers, formula and baby food for infants, clothing and transportation assistance.
St. John also operated the Second Time Around Thrift Store.
Phoenix House
In 1967, six heroin users came together at a detoxification program in a New York hospital. They talked about the struggles in trying to stop using drugs and decided to help one another through the tough days ahead, the organization said.
Together, they moved into a brownstone on Manhattan’s West Side and lived as a community; encouraging and helping each other to recover. That is how Phoenix House was born.
In 1979, Phoenix House was gifted a property on Fruit Street in Santa Ana and expanded to the West Coast, opening its first residential substance use treatment center in California.
In 1986, a second residential treatment center was opened on Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach. In 1983, the Phoenix House Academy, a residential high school where teens could make up schooling opened in the East San Fernando Valley.
Expansion of services continued and in 1996, Phoenix House began working in California prisons, jails, and other correctional settings, offering substance use disorder and mental health services to hundreds each year.
Wraparound Services for adolescents and families were established in 2010 and the following year, in response to the ever-growing substance use crisis, we began offering school-based prevention, mental health and outpatient services in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: State approves sale of Victorville-based St. John of God facility
