Chesterfield County mental-health agency reports higher intakes, housing gains and expanded crisis response

Kelly Reed, of Mental Health Support Services, presented the department’s annual report to Chesterfield County officials, reporting service volumes, budget details and plans to pursue Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) standards.

Reed said the department served about 8,100 people last year and reached roughly 15,000 through prevention programs. “There were over 2,061 intakes,” she said, citing new and returning people seeking services.

The department reported a budgeted revenue total of about $64,900,000, of which Reed said approximately $30,100,000 came from Medicaid; she also reported a county contribution and additional state and federal funds. Reed told the board the FY26 budget is roughly $150,000 lower than FY25, largely because some ARPA funding ended and several program awards decreased by about $50,000.

Reed highlighted several service-area outcomes and partnerships. Housing work includes 11 placements through the Horner Run partnership, three occupied units at Lambert’s Landing with capacity for up to six individuals, and a potential 14 units from a Colebrook development. A permanent supportive housing program funded by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services grew from 30 to 45 slots; since 2022 the county reported 42 placements, one eviction, no discharges for behavioral-health reasons, 100% with health insurance and 89% with a primary-care provider.

Reed also described mobile and clinic services: a Department of Behavioral Health dental bus has provided dental care (about 90 people served over recent years), and the county’s Families First program produced graduates entering kindergarten.

On substance use, Reed said 53 people died of drug poisoning in Chesterfield in 2024, a decline from 2023, and that opioids accounted for about 73% of overdose deaths. The department distributed more than 4,000 boxes of naloxone (not including other county distribution), installed naloxone vending boxes at four county locations that yielded roughly 600 kits, and reported mobile-outreach distributions including more than 4,000 fentanyl testing strips, over 300 first-aid wound kits and about 10,000 condoms. Reed linked those efforts, plus broader availability of treatment and medication-assisted treatment, to the reduction in deaths.

Crisis-response work received extended coverage. Use of the 988 crisis line increased markedly: Reed cited about 11,795 calls in the past year, with more than 2,000 calls in the most recent month. Chesterfield’s co-response teams — crisis clinicians paired with police officers — handled 486 calls in the past year (about 40 per month); Reed said 62% of those were stabilized or served in the community without hospitalization, and seven calls resulted in arrests. She reported the co-response teams saved patrol time equal to about 1,060 patrol hours (roughly a half FTE) and that the county now operates three co-response teams and is assessing a fourth.

Reed described the Sprint team (Strategic Planning Regarding Individuals in Need or Transition), a multiagency weekly case-staffing group that includes social services, mobile integrated health care, mental-health clinicians, police and fire/EMS. She presented a recent success story in which Sprint helped place a grandmother and her autistic grandson out of a library parking-lot encampment and into temporary housing and longer-term placements.

On school-based services, Chesterfield Recovery Academy completed its third year with 31 students served and seven graduates; Reed said over 2,000 clinical sessions and 159 clinical recovery groups were provided. The current school year began with 18 students representing seven localities (Chesterfield, New Kent, Charles City, Richmond, Henrico and Powhatan). When asked, Reed said the program’s practical capacity was being discussed — one attendee referenced a 40–50 capacity figure while Reed noted prior planning had indicated about 25 with current staffing.

Reed said the Virginia Community Services Board (CSB) system aims to move CSBs to CCBHC certification by 2028. Chesterfield is accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) since 1997 and Reed said the department believes it already delivers many evidence-based practices required under CCBHC standards; the department will monitor state direction and pursue reviews if standards move forward.

The presentation also noted two National Association of Counties awards (for an infant/toddler playgroup and for emergency behavioral-response promotion), staff engagement events, and a county dental bus partnership area provided by General Services. Several county staff and managers were acknowledged for their roles in operations and coordination.

Reed and others said follow-ups will include monitoring age-group trends in suicide-related calls, continuing telehealth implementation in schools, and evaluating whether to add a fourth co-response team. No formal motions or votes were recorded during the presentation.