Project Mental Health

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org

Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County are facing are major mental health crisis – with almost double the number of suicides compared to the state and national average.

Project Mental Health was developed post-COVID to be a one-stop place to find help for yourself or a loved one.

From food insecurity to homelessness to stress from jobs and life, there are many factors that contribute to your healthy mental state.

There is hope.

There are people and resources in the community (and nationwide) to help you navigate your own mental health or that of a loved one.

You are not alone in this journey. 

Quick links

Reach out to one of the organizations below to help you navigate the resources available to help you.

• Arrow Project: Resources
• Augusta County Library: Essential community services list
• Augusta Health: Behavioral health
• Blue Ridge Community College: Area resources
• City of Staunton: Helpful links
• City of Waynesboro: Community resource list
• Office on Youth: Community resources
• Senior Navigator
• Staunton Redevelopment and Housing Authority: Resources
• Valley Community Services Board: Community resources list
• Valley Community Services Board: Behavioral health | Substance use | Prevention

Related stories

• Mental health
• Valley Community Services Board
• Homelessness

Community partners

Our thanks to these local organizations that provided input and support into the development of Project Mental Health.

Arrow Project
The purpose of ARROW Project is to enhance resilience, empowerment, and self-advocacy within local communities by expanding mental health treatment possibilities for and within the Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro, Virginia area.

Augusta Free Press
Augusta Free Press launched in 2002. The site serves as a portal into life in the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia – in a region encompassing Augusta County, Albemarle County, Nelson County and Rockingham County and the cities of Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, at the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail.

Augusta Health
Augusta Health opened in 1994 to continue a tradition of personalized care with small-town hospitality that began more than 50 years ago with predecessor hospitals in Staunton and Waynesboro, Virginia. Today, our highly trained physicians and staff use state-of-the-art technology to provide superlative care with warmth and compassion.

Central Shenandoah Health District
Vision: Healthy People in Healthy Communities. Mission: Protect and promote the health and well-being of residents in the Central Shenandoah Valley. Who We Serve: The counties of Rockbridge, Bath, Augusta, Highland and Rockingham and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington and Buena Vista.

Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth
The mission of the Office on Youth is to promote collaborative efforts among youth and family service agencies to encourage positive youth development in our community.

City of Waynesboro Department of Emergency Management
Waynesboro Emergency Operations Center is a division of the Department of Emergency Management and is staffed 24/7 year-round by a staff of highly trained public safety dispatchers. They receive, dispatch, and coordinate responses to all 911 calls for police, fire, and EMS. They can also, if necessary, deliver pre-arrival instructions to callers and aid them until help arrives.

NAMI Central Shenandoah Valley
NAMI Central Shenandoah Valley VA is all about mental health and promotion of mental health.

Shenandoah LGBTQ+ Center
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is a community-based organization that strengthens the LGBTQIA+ community through advocacy, education, programs and safe spaces.

The Ditto Project
Suicide prevention and education.

Valley Community Services Board
Valley Community Services Board is a publicly funded organization where citizens of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta and Highland Counties can receive Behavioral Health, Substance Use and Developmental Services services.

Waynesboro Family YMCA
At the Waynesboro Family YMCA, we’re more than a gym. We aim to deliver lasting personal and social change within individuals and the community as a whole.

State and national resources

• 988 Lifeline
• BeWellVA
• American Association of Suicidology
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Campus Suicide Prevention Center
• Lock & Talk Virginia
• Mental Health America
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Active Minds
• The Jed Foundation
• The Trevor Project
• Zero Suicide Virginia
• The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation (Norfolk)
• AnneMoss Rogers, Emotionally Naked Blog (Richmond)
• Kevin Hines, survivor