(The Center Square) – A new 24/7 walk-in crisis center will open at Ridgeview Pavilion in Bristol, supported by more than $3.5 million in commonwealth funding.
The center is part of Virginia’s “Right Help, Right Now” plan to expand access to behavioral health care. It will provide over 6,000 square feet of space for psychiatric evaluation, crisis stabilization and care coordination.
Ballad Health will operate the facility and is expected to open in fall 2026.
“By expanding crisis care in Southwest Virginia, we are strengthening the safety net for families in need and easing the strain on emergency rooms and law enforcement,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin in a statement.
The Bristol site is part of Virginia’s $1.4 billion push since 2022 to expand mental health and addiction services through new funding, legislation and initiatives. Virginia has tripled crisis stabilization capacity in that time, from 216 slots to 663. More than 100 publicly funded mobile crisis teams are also in operation, with average response times of less than an hour.
Virginia’s Year 2 progress report shows fatal fentanyl overdoses dropped 23.3% between June 2023 and June 2024, the third-largest decline in the nation. The report estimated more than 600 lives were saved.
Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, was used to train over 96,000 Virginians last year, with more than 41,000 kits distributed.
Youth-focused prevention efforts have expanded as well.
A “Dangers of Fentanyl” program has reached over 600,000 students and is being added to middle schools, while the First Lady’s “It Only Takes One” campaign has grown into a statewide awareness effort.
Workforce shortages remain a challenge, and the report says building the behavioral health workforce must be a priority. Since 2022, the number of licensed clinical social workers has grown from 6,965 to 7,962, licensed professional counselors from 6,799 to 7,957, and licensed clinical psychologists from 2,920 to 3,063.
Virginia has added new credentials, including a clinical psychology practitioner license, expected to bring the number up to 150 to 200 providers each year.
Lawmakers have also required insurance coverage for mobile crisis response and stabilization services.
Year 3 goals include further expanding inpatient and crisis stabilization care, developing permanent supportive housing, and strengthening youth mental health programs such as the Social Media and Mental Health Toolkit and the Reclaiming Childhood Task Force.
