Lenape Valley Foundation, a nonprofit behavioral health organization that helps over 14,000 people each year, announced its partnership with the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc., Bucks County’s Office of Behavioral Health/Developmental Programs and Doylestown Health to establish a new, freestanding behavioral health crisis center.
The project was recently awarded a $3 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, added to more than $10 million in funding dedicated to supporting the project.
“The new center will vastly improve the quality of care for children and adults experiencing a behavioral health crisis,” said Sharon Curran, chief executive officer of Lenape Valley Foundation. “The clinical teams working at this center will provide comprehensive stabilization in a state-of-the-art environment. Everyone in this partnership effort is diligently exploring and pursuing various ways to make certain that the diverse needs of the community can be met within this facility.”
Anticipated to open late in 2024, the center will serve individuals of all ages experiencing a behavioral health crisis, including but not limited to mental health, drug and alcohol, intellectual disabilities and those at risk for or involved in the forensic system.
Plans for the system include integrated care across clinical disciplines, separate lobbies and rooms for children and adults, accommodations for accompanying family members and space for individuals awaiting longer-term placement. Its proposed location is on the grounds of Doylestown Hospital, adjacent to Lenape Valley Foundation’s existing outpatient facility.
“This collaboration brings together local behavioral health and medical providers to create a facility that would be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. Doylestown Health’s 100-year commitment to serve the needs of our community supports this walk-in center concept that brings all the crisis components together under one roof,” said Jim Brexler, president and CEO of Doylestown Health.
In addition to the grant recently awarded to the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc. by DDAP, the project has also secured funding from Bucks County, the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Bucks County’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. Funding continues to be pursued to support the multi-million-dollar center.
“We are thrilled for this grant to arrive and to help make the Stabilization Unit a reality. This unit will allow those with opioid, substance use and co-occurring issues to receive the assessment and placement assistance they so desperately need, and all in a warm, supportive, professional environment,” said Diane Ellis-Marseglia, vice chair of the Bucks County board of commissioners.
The public is invited to attend a virtual listening session on March 9, at 5:30 p.m., or March 10, at 12:30 p.m., to learn more about the project and to provide input into the services and facility. To register, visit lenapevf.org/listeningsession.
