$10 million gift from Robert and Allyson Price and family launches behavioral health hub, accelerating a $35 million regional care and workforce initiative
Price Philanthropies, led by Robert and Allyson Price, has committed a $10 million lead gift to UC San Diego Health, providing the largest early contribution to the system’s planned Behavioral Health Hub at its East Campus and giving the long-developing project a concrete path toward construction.
The gift is designed to fund early building work and initial operations for a facility that health system leaders say will meaningfully expand psychiatric capacity, strengthen outpatient services, and accelerate workforce training for underserved populations across San Diego County.
The planned hub is expected to include two inpatient psychiatric units with a combined total of roughly 50 beds, alongside a full continuum of outpatient care, ranging from partial hospitalization to interventional psychiatry. UC San Diego Health is working to raise approximately $35 million to complete the project, and the Price Philanthropies commitment is expected to cover early construction costs and the first four years of operations. The facility is currently projected to open in 2028.
The investment arrives as San Diego, like many regions nationwide, confronts a widening behavioral health gap marked by rising demand, workforce shortages, and insufficient inpatient capacity.
Regional estimates suggest the county will need tens of thousands of additional behavioral health professionals in the coming years to keep pace with need, while hospitals and emergency departments continue to absorb the effects of limited inpatient and post-acute options. Health system leaders say the new hub is designed to address both sides of the equation by expanding beds and services while also strengthening the pipeline of trained clinicians.
In announcing the gift, UC San Diego Health officials emphasized that the Price Philanthropies investment will broaden access to evidence-based, compassionate behavioral health care, particularly for Medi-Cal patients and communities that have historically faced barriers to timely treatment.
Robert and Allyson Price framed the contribution as a long-term investment in regional infrastructure, aimed at reinforcing a system of care that will support patients, families, and providers well beyond the opening of the facility.
A central feature of the hub will be its integration of care delivery and workforce training. The facility is expected to house a dedicated training center serving psychiatry residents, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner fellows, physician assistant students, and trainees in nursing, social work, and counseling.
By collocating clinical care and education, UC San Diego Health and its partners aim to shorten the pathway from training to practice, particularly in Medi-Cal-focused and safety-net settings where shortages are most acute.
The East Campus site has become a focal point for UC San Diego Health’s behavioral health strategy, with the system previously relocating inpatient services from its Hillcrest campus as part of a broader effort to consolidate and expand capacity.
The new hub also builds on ongoing collaboration between UC San Diego Health and San Diego County to strengthen the region’s behavioral health infrastructure, an effort that has drawn growing attention from public agencies and philanthropic partners alike.
Price Philanthropies is a San Diego-based family philanthropy with deep roots in the region’s civic life. Led by Robert and Allyson Price, the foundation traces its origins to the legacy of Sol Price, the retail innovator who founded Price Club, the predecessor to Costco Wholesale.
Over decades, the Price family has supported initiatives across healthcare, education, social services, and Jewish communal life, with a consistent emphasis on expanding access and strengthening systems that serve vulnerable populations.
Behavioral health has emerged as a priority area reflecting both local need and the foundation’s focus on long-term, scalable impact.
While the $10 million commitment will not, on its own, resolve San Diego’s behavioral health challenges, it positions UC San Diego Health significantly closer to adding capacity, expanding services, and training the next generation of clinicians.
Health system leaders say the next phase will focus on securing additional philanthropic support, navigating regulatory approvals, and beginning key hires to keep the project on track for its anticipated 2028 opening—an approach that underscores the increasingly catalytic role of large, early-stage philanthropy in advancing complex healthcare infrastructure projects nationwide.