Help Paying Your Bill

The San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital (SDCPH) provides emergency psychiatric services to San Diego County residents suffering from serious mental illness (SMI) and provides short- or long-term behavioral health services for such persons without regard to insurance or funding.

SDCPH provides free care to all patients:

  • We do not require applications, income information, or financial determination forms to receive care.
  • Patients who receive services at the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital will not be billed for our services.
  • We may bill Medi-Cal for crisis intervention, crisis stabilization services, and any discharge prescriptions that you receive if you are eligible. You do not need to apply for Medi-Cal to get Free Care at SDCPH.

Need help?

There are free consumer advocacy organizations that will help you understand the billing process. You may call the Health Consumer Alliance at 888-804-3536 or go to https://healthconsumer.org/ for more information.

You may be eligible for health care coverage under Covered California or Medi-Cal. Please contact Customer Service at the Health Consumer Alliance for information about these programs.

For more information, please call the Social Work Supervisor at 619-692-8232, Monday-Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Financial Assistance Policies

View our Free Care and Debt Collection policies through the links below:

You may also request a copy by calling 619-692-8232, Monday-Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Shoppable Services

SDCPH does not offer elective or scheduled services that qualify as "shoppable services" under federal or state definitions. All services are medically necessary, urgent, or emergent and cannot be scheduled in advance by patients.

Hospital Bill Complaint Program

The Hospital Bill Complaint Program is a state program that reviews hospital decisions about whether you qualify for help paying your hospital bill. If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program. Go to https://hcai.ca.gov for more information and to file a complaint.