Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Valley Community Services Board details $20 million V-RACK crisis center, aims to open in 2028
Summary
Valley Community Services Board told Staunton council it has bought a 6.17‑acre site for the Valley Recovery and Assessment Center (V‑RACK), a 24/7 crisis receiving, stabilization and detox facility with 16 short‑stay observation chairs and 16 stabilization beds; design is 95% complete, budgeted at about $20 million and roughly 80% funded by the state.
Dr. Kimberly Mlanahan, director of the Valley Community Services Board, told Staunton City Council on May 28 that the board has purchased a 6.17‑acre site and is advancing plans for the Valley Recovery and Assessment Center (V‑RACK), a 24/7 crisis receiving, stabilization and detoxification facility located about a mile from the hospital.
"Our crisis receiving center is now the Valley Recovery and Assessment Center or VRACK," Dr. Mlanahan said, and described the facility layout as "about 16 chairs for 23‑hour observation and 16 beds for ongoing crisis services" with an average stabilization stay of three to five days and capacity for longer stays when clinically necessary.
Mlanahan said the project budget is about $20 million. She described the funding mix as predominantly state support from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) — roughly 80% of construction funding — plus a $1.5 million board set‑aside and locality contributions scheduled over multiple years. She also said the board received an Exhibit D from DBHDS for $9.6 million tied to the V‑RACK project and that other restricted funds are in place for project use.
Design work is nearly finished: Mlanahan said the architectural design is about 95% complete, with a hoped‑for groundbreaking in August and an optimistic completion target in January 2028, subject to site conditions such as rock removal and licensing timelines.
The presentation described supportive site features — roughly 100 parking spaces, an exercise yard, emergency access lane and a location close to the hospital to facilitate medically required transfers. Mlanahan also reviewed organizational capacity, recent renovations to intermediate care homes, and the creation of Valley Community Outreach, a newly formed 501(c)(3) intended to accept private donations earmarked for services or capital needs; she cited a fundraising goal of $250,000 specifically for the V‑RACK but said private giving is supplementary to the state funding commitments.
Council members asked follow‑up questions about length of stay, Medicaid and licensing requirements, and the financial assumptions behind the project. Mlanahan emphasized that a substantial portion of the board's cash balances are restricted by grant or state conditions and that those restrictions determine how funds may be spent.
Next steps noted in the presentation include finalizing construction documents, beginning site work pending geotechnical conditions, and pursuing licensing and operational approvals from state regulators before opening.
The update did not request direct action from council beyond continued local coordination and acknowledgment of the project's community impacts.
