A regional facility to address mental and behavioral health is one step closer to becoming a reality after a location has been identified that should be secured some time this month.
Valley Community Services Board Executive Director Kimberly McClanahan told AFP that the hope is to break ground on the center by the fall of 2025 and open its doors some time in 2027.
Discussions about the need for a regional facility began in 2018 when Augusta Health did an initial assessment of treatment options in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County.
“We’re very dedicated to making it happen,” McClanahan said, “and are very excited about what it will do in terms of broadening that continuum of crisis services here in the area which are much needed.”
The two main focuses of the 25,000-square-foot facility will be a 23-hour observation area and a crisis stabilization unit offering the community a less expensive option for care.
The total cost of building the facility is estimated between $15 million and $17 million.
The board has a commitment of $9.6 million from the Department of Behavioral Health toward the facility in addition to funds raised by the Board of Directors and other grants. That leaves approximately $4 million to $5 million that will be required to complete the project.
McClanahan said that VCSB’s executive team is speaking with city managers in Staunton and Waynesboro and the county administrator in Augusta County about tapping into opioid abatement funds which can be used toward a capital project of this nature because the facility will include a detox component.
VCSB has also applied for a 501(c)3 non-profit status with the IRS which is in process and may, if approved, be another option for donations down the road.
Putting behavioral health and crisis response under one roof
Observation unit
The observation area will include 16 chairs or recliners where “somebody in crisis can come in or be brought in to be evaluated,” McClanahan said.
Current laws allow a person to be held in an observation area for 23 hours and 59 minutes before a decision must be made on the next step, if any, for treatment.
Among the choices, McClanahan said: “Are they able to be deescalated and go back into the community to their home? Do they need to be stepped up to a crisis stabilization unit, or do they need to go to the hospital?
Crisis stabilization unit
The crisis stabilization unit, or CSU, will feature 16 flex beds for detox or mental health treatment and would allow patients to stay longer, usually four to five days.
Depending on the situation, a patient could stay in the CSU for up to 15 days.
Marcus Alert crisis co-responders
While not one of the two major purposes of the center, McClanahan said that crisis co-responders will likely operate out of the building too – putting all of VCSB’s crisis services under one roof.
Cities and counties throughout Virginia have until July 1, 2028, to begin Marcus Alert, an initiative to provide a behavioral health response to behavioral health emergencies. A Marcus Alert creates coordination between 911 and regional crisis call centers and likely will lead most localities to employ or outsource co-responders who will join police on emergency behavioral health calls.
Police: ‘We need help now’
While a facility in 2027 will certainly make a huge impact on mental health in the Shenandoah Valley, it’s a long time to wait for a service that is desperately needed now.
“One of the things that we’ve heard loud and clear from law enforcement is ‘we need help now,’” McClanahan said.
With police departments short staffed, spending time in an emergency room with a suicidal patient ties up the officer who may be needed to respond to other events in the area.
“One of the things we’ve done here at Valley (Valley Community Services Board) is to actually set up a section of our emergency services department where we can accept EDOs (emergency detention orders) and TDOS (temporary detention orders) right here,” she said.
VCSB can currently take up to three behavioral health patients for observation which they hope may free up law enforcement and the emergency department.
Law enforcement is on site at Valley, so a patient may be dropped off and the responding officer doesn’t have to wait with them and can get back to other job duties.
A MOU, or memorandum of understanding, is in place with VCSB and Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County, to utilize this service.
There’s a lot of grey areas, she said, where a decision has to be made to determine if someone will be safe at Valley’s observation room or if the emergency department is still the best choice.
McClanahan said the service is underutilized right now, but she anticipates that will “change as people understand it more.”
Video: Interview with Kimberly McClanahan
Related stories
For more coverage, search “mental health” on Augusta Free Press.
- Regional mental health facility moving forward, ground-breaking likely in 2025
- Mental health crisis center has support; momentum stalled until location, funding secured
- VCSB working to respond to those in crisis; ease burden on hospitals, first responders
- Region’s suicide rates almost double state, national average; treatment options in the works
- Virginia gets $108M in settlement to prevent opioid addiction at the local level
- Youngkin highlights ‘Right Here, Right Now’ behavioral health plan in Virginia
- Harrisonburg: A mental health crisis is among top five emergency calls to police
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Crystal Graham
