Prince William Community Services officials told the joint Board of County Supervisors and school board meeting that they are closely monitoring federal and state funding risks for behavioral‑health programs even as the county prepares to open a new crisis receiving center.

"The key takeaway today for community services is monitoring. For community services is monitoring," said Georgia Bachman, acting director of Community Services, who reviewed grants, Medicaid reimbursement risks and the county’s clinical capacity. Bachman described a five‑year SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant that funds a children’s system‑of‑care initiative—"a 5‑year, $5,000,000 federally funded ... system of care expansion and sustainability grant"—and said the county had invoiced proactively so it had not lost funding when a related state notice terminated other projects.

Bachman warned that reductions in Medicaid reimbursements or additional redeterminations could force the agency to reduce staff or increase local funding for positions that are currently supported by Medicaid. She said recent Medicaid increases had supported new positions to serve individuals on the priority waiver wait list and that a rollback or reimbursement cut would “likely be a reduction of positions or needed increase in local funding to support positions.”

School board members and supervisors pressed staff on adolescent capacity. School board member Marissa Zartrecourt (referred to in the transcript by surname) described the difficulty of securing adolescent behavioral‑health beds and noted families often must seek care outside the county; Bachman and other staff said new facilities should help but will not be a panacea.

The county said a new CRC would include youth capacity—"the facility has 16 beds for youth and 16 observation chairs and then 16 for adults and 16 chairs," a county presenter said—and a regional facility in Fairfax is expected to open the following spring. County staff said the CRC operator, Connections Health, emphasizes community partnerships and that the CRC is one piece of a broader crisis transformation strategy intended to reduce boarding in emergency departments and the adult detention center.

Why it matters: county and school officials said adolescents face a particular shortage of inpatient psychiatric capacity and that those shortages can produce long hospital stays while placement is sought. Community Services staff urged continued coordination with the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and said county officials would track federal and state policy changes closely.

There was no formal action or funding vote related to the CRC at the meeting. Supervisors and school board members encouraged continued joint advocacy for waivers, Medicaid billing authority for crisis facilities and workforce development to increase the behavioral‑health pipeline.