Valley Community Services Board outlines plan for 16‑bed crisis receiving and stabilization center in Fishersville

Valley Community Services Board (Valley CSB) staff told the Staunton City Council on Aug. 14 that they plan to build a crisis receiving, stabilization and short‑term detox facility on a 6.17‑acre parcel in Fishersville and hope to open in September 2027.

The facility, described by presenters as roughly 25,495 square feet, will include 16 beds and 16 chairs for observation, medical and counseling spaces, a law‑enforcement sally port, and a full complement of medical support rooms. John Sandy, Valley CSB’s director of finance, said the center will be staffed over three budget years with a full complement of about 51 employees when fully ramped up. “We’re very excited about this project,” Sandy said during the council work session presentation.

Valley CSB described the project as intended to reduce the number of people with behavioral‑health crises being held in hospital emergency departments or detained while officers wait for placement. Dr. Amy McClanahan, executive director, cited national studies and local projections and said the model can reduce emergency‑room presentations for behavioral‑health crises by roughly 60 percent in comparable programs. Bob Tucker, who worked on cost projections with Augusta Health, confirmed Valley CSB’s local pro forma and said the group used conservative estimates.

Funding for the project as presented relies heavily on state resources. Valley CSB showed a capital budget in which about three‑quarters of project costs come from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and related ARPA pass‑through funds; Valley CSB and member localities together contributed smaller shares. Valley CSB reported an existing ARPA drawdown of roughly $802,000, a $1.5 million board commitment, and local jurisdiction contributions totaling about $2.3 million over three years; a DBHDS construction grant of about $9.6 million was described as committed but contingent on project milestones and further design progress.

Project estimates shown to council list construction and soft costs at roughly $10.9 million, FF&E and systems near $1.2 million, and a contingency of about $2.1 million. Presenters said most funds are in hand or committed, but some construction dollars are dependent on the DBHDS grant and further A&E selection. Valley CSB said it will seek an A&E firm this month and continue design work based on a prototypical CRC design the Commonwealth provided.

Council members asked for clarifications on client populations, capacity and how law‑enforcement interaction would work. Valley CSB staff said the facility will serve adults only (not juveniles) and will not subdivide services for children and adults in the same building; telehealth judicial hearings and a courtroom area for civil and voluntary commitment proceedings were described. Presenters said the facility’s design includes a sally port and blind reception for persons arriving via law enforcement to separate intake from public areas.

Valley CSB staff said operating revenue is expected to begin in fiscal 2028 from reimbursements (commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid) and existing CRC operating grants. Staff noted the first three staffing positions will be funded through a Department of Justice mental‑health collaboration grant. The board also noted that there will be a multi‑jurisdictional law‑enforcement presence assigned to the facility and that staffing and full reimbursement streams are assumptions that will mature as the facility opens and billing begins.

The presentation closed with a project timeline that anticipates completed design and permitting in 2026, construction and site development across 2026–27, and a September 2027 opening. Presenters cautioned these dates are subject to standard capital‑project changes and the timetable depends on hiring key operations staff and the timely execution of the state construction grant.

Council did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said they will return with design and grant details as the project advances.