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Horizon Behavioral Health outlines new $15.2M crisis care center and regional services
Summary
Horizon Behavioral Health told the Amherst board it will open a $15.2 million crisis care center this year to provide 24/7 walk-in evaluations, 23-hour observation, 3–7 day stabilization and medical detox services for Amherst and nearby localities, aiming to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and ease ER burdens.
Horizon Behavioral Health presented its annual report to the Amherst County Board of Supervisors on March 17, highlighting new and expanded programs and announcing a $15.2 million crisis care center expected to open this year. Melissa Lucy described the center as the first crisis receiving and stabilization unit in central Virginia, intended to provide alternatives to emergency departments and inpatient hospitalization.
"Our crisis care center is designed to address the urgent need for mental health support," Lucy said, summarizing services that will include 24/7 walk-in mental health evaluation, a 23-hour observation unit, 3–7 day residential crisis stabilization, medical detoxification and allied supportive services such as peer recovery support and care coordination. The center is planned to serve residents in Lynchburg, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties.
Lucy reviewed Horizon programs that already operate in the region—school-based tobacco cessation folded into adolescent substance-use services, the TRE program for transitional-age youth, Project Link for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, and outreach programs for homeless or at-risk youth. She said some initiatives exceed state or national engagement averages and highlighted collaborations with local law enforcement and hospitals.
On the crisis center funding and timeline, Lucy said the project was a community effort and the center’s clinical license is in process; staff credentialing remains underway. "We are hoping to open by May," she told the board, adding Horizon had applied for its license and planned to complete credentialing and staffing shortly afterward.
Board members and emergency services leaders praised the center as a resource expected to reduce strain on emergency departments and law-enforcement responses to behavioral-health crises. Horizon said it currently serves almost 13,000 clients across its catchment and operates multiple local wellness centers and programs, emphasizing an outcome-driven, trauma-informed approach.
Lucy invited the board to tour the new facility before opening and asked for continued county support as Horizon moves from planning to operations.
