Yurok Tribe breaks ground on new Weitchpec treatment center

The Yurok Tribe broke ground Tuesday at 93 Rube Ranch Rd in Weitchpec on the Wah-Sekw-Won Treatment Center, a 53-bed culturally grounded behavioral health facility that will expand care in Humboldt County. The project is aimed at tribal members and local residents who need treatment closer to home in the Yurok homeland along the Klamath River.

California Department of Health Care Services materials say the center will be about 26,000 square feet and will include 53 inpatient residential treatment beds for men and women, along with outpatient services, counseling and primary care. The tribe has also described the project as the Yurok Health and Wellness Center.

The Yurok Tribe said construction is expected to be completed in spring 2028. The project is supported by a $26 million bond allocation, giving the tribe a large new treatment site in northern Humboldt County where behavioral health services have long been spread across multiple systems and locations.

The new center also builds on other Yurok health work in the region. The Yurok Health and Human Services Department previously ran YOR I and YOR II youth opioid response projects in Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity counties, extending the tribe’s public health reach beyond Weitchpec.

The county already has one standing tribal partnership in place. Humboldt County’s District Attorney’s Office works with the Yurok Tribe on tribal diversion referrals and supportive services, a relationship that includes progress updates through tribal courts while honoring tribal sovereignty and cultural traditions. The new treatment center adds physical infrastructure to that existing network, giving the tribe a dedicated place to provide residential and outpatient care in one site near the community it serves.