Henrico County, St. Joseph’s Villa hold Youth Crisis Receiving Center opening celebration
St. Joseph’s Villa and Henrico County announce the opening of a new Crisis Receiving Center (CRC) that will provide youth with rapid access to behavioral health services. The facility will serve as an alternative to emergency rooms, with the goal of diverting hospitalization and allowing youth to be treated in their own community.
The CRC will offer 24/7 call and walk-in service for youth and their families. Within 23 hours of an admission, a multidisciplinary team of qualified professionals will provide comprehensive assessments and crisis stabilization services, and make connections to community-based providers for follow-up care. Family involvement will be a key component of treatment at the CRC.
“We are incredibly excited for this major milestone in providing life-saving support to children and their families,” said Jenny Friar, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa. “The need for accessible, youth-specific emergency mental and behavioral health care is urgent, and the Villa is so proud to be part of this critical new service for our region.”
Virginia ranks 48th in the nation for access to youth mental health care according to Mental Health America. Individuals experiencing a traumatic situation often face long waits in hospital emergency departments to receive appropriate mental health services. The CRC at St. Joseph’s Villa will increase local capacity for service and provide a custom-designed space for youth in mental health crisis.
“The Crisis Receiving Center holds tremendous promise for young people and their families in Henrico and across the region. Henrico County is thrilled to see it open its doors,” said Roscoe Cooper III, Fairfield District Supervisor. “This facility will have an immediate impact for our young people who need rapid access to mental health services. Henrico County is truly pleased to partner with St. Joseph’s Villa and the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide this vital resource for our community.”
Located on the St. Joseph’s Villa campus at 8000 Brook Road, the CRC will specialize in serving youth between 7 and 17 years of age residing within Region 4 of Central Virginia. The program will initially serve up to six individuals at a time, with plans to gradually expand capacity to nine.
Renovations to the Villa’s 1,780 square-foot building include enhanced accessibility features and ligature-resistant fixtures to ensure a safe environment. The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services funded approximately $1 million in construction costs.
The youth CRC is the first facility of its kind in Central Virginia. For more information, click/tap here.
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