FISHERSVILLE, Va. — On Tuesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin joined state and local partners to break ground on the Valley Crisis Receiving Center, a key component of the Commonwealth’s Right Help, Right Now behavioral health initiative.
The ceremony took place at Augusta Health Medical Center, located about a mile from the future site.
The center is intended to strengthen crisis response for individuals experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
“This is how we build a system that responds to every Virginian with urgency, dignity, and compassion,” said Youngkin. “Instead of waiting in a hospital hallway or in the back of a police vehicle, people in crisis will walk into the new Valley Crisis Receiving Center — a space designed to help them reclaim stability and hope. Together, we are delivering the right help, right now.”
The facility will include 16 Crisis Receiving Center chairs and 16 Crisis Stabilization Unit beds. It will be operated by the Valley Community Services Board (CSB) and will offer 24/7 medical screening, clinical evaluation, peer support, and care coordination.
The region’s Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center will relocate to the new building after it opens, allowing for faster transfers and more therapeutic environments for individuals under Emergency Custody and Temporary Detention Orders.
Crisis teams in the Valley respond to more than 1,180 interventions annually across Augusta and Highland counties and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. They work closely with local law enforcement and hospitals.
“Families will gain faster access to treatment, hospitals will stay focused on medical emergencies, and individuals will receive care with dignity at the moment they need it,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly.
The center is designed to support privacy, mobility, and rapid clinical engagement. The Valley CSB also implemented Transfer of Custody agreements with Augusta Health security, reducing the time officers spend in emergency departments and allowing them to return to public safety duties sooner.
“This approach connects therapeutic care, modern infrastructure, and efficient law enforcement coordination,” said Nelson Smith, Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. “By reducing processing times and creating a consistent statewide model, we are building speed into the system and helping officers return to their core public safety duties more quickly.”
The Valley CSB will operate the center with support from Augusta Health, Western State Hospital, regional CSBs, and first responder agencies.
“This center is deeply personal for our community,” said Dr. Kimberly McClanahan, executive director of the Valley Community Services Board. “Every person who enters will be welcomed into a place where calm, care, and connection are the standard. Recovery can begin immediately, and no one will face a crisis alone.”
The project is backed by more than $16 million in combined capital and operating investments through state behavioral health funding and regional partnerships.
Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now initiative is a three-year, $1.4 billion overhaul of Virginia’s behavioral health system aimed at expanding crisis care, improving community-based services, supporting the behavioral health workforce, and ensuring Virginians in crisis have someone to call, someone to respond, and a safe place to go.
Construction on the new facility will begin in 2026.