The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – The Covington Planning Commission and City Council held a joint public hearing this week on Tuesday, Nov. 19 to consider a proposal from the Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board to open a new crisis intervention center in the city of Covington. The proposed facility would be located at 214 Lexington Ave. and would provide a range of mental health and substance abuse services, including a 23-hour assessment area, eight adult crisis stabilization beds, and two crisis stabilization beds for children.
“This is a much-needed service to provide the community,” said Alleghany Highlands Community Services Executive Director Ingrid Barber. “We have individuals here in our citizens that have been referred to facilities hours away due to transportation issues. This will allow us to provide care closer to home.” The center would be staffed 24/7 with nursing, psychiatric, and clinical personnel, as well as a crisis intervention team (CIT) officer from the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office.
Barber said the facility would employ 20-25 people, including nurses, aides, clinicians, and administrative staff. John Gardner, a principal engineer with Lineage Architect, presented the proposed floor plan for the facility. The design includes a crisis intervention area with direct street access for law enforcement, a 23-hour assessment and stabilization area, an adult crisis stabilization unit with eight beds, and a separate children’s crisis stabilization unit with two beds.
“We’re thinking about security and safety from the get-go,” Gardner said. “There will be a police officer on-site, as well as secured access, cameras, and badge-controlled doors to protect patients and staff.” The facility would also include a staff respite area to help support the emotional well-being of the personnel providing these critical services.
Several speakers voiced staunch support for the proposal, including Alleghany County Sheriff Kyle Moore, local hospital CEOs, and community members with individual experiences navigating the mental health system.
“This is a national crisis and a local crisis,” said Greg Madsen, a former hospital CEO. “If you walk into the emergency room, which I have been in every day for the last 30 years, I see mental health patients in crisis. They’re not getting the care they need. This facility would alleviate that congestion and go a long way for the Alleghany community.”
Nicole Tucker, CEO of Lewis Gale Hospital Alleghany, noted that the National Institute of Mental Health estimates 59.3 million Americans, or one in three people, experience a mental health crisis. She urged the city to support the proposal, saying, “We cannot continue to practice in secular methods and get improved results. We are a strong-knit community that wants to improve, and when we say that we want to advance, we have to be the change that we want to see.” However, not all community members were in favor of the location.
Edmondson, the owner of the property adjacent to the proposed site, expressed concerns about the facility being too small to adequately serve the community’s needs and the potential impact on surrounding businesses and residents. “I think this is a very needed service, but I do not think this is the most appropriate place for it,” Edmondson said. “I think it is too small, and I believe it will be overrun with patients within the first two to three weeks.” Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board’s Barber acknowledged the facility’s size constraints, noting that the state of Virginia has a mandate limiting crisis stabilization centers to sixteen beds. However, she emphasized that the organization is working within its budget constraints to provide the best possible services for the community. “This was the best route for us.”Barber said.
The planning commission ultimately voted to approve and sent the special exception request to the city council, which after some discussion decided to table the topic and will consider the proposal at its next meeting on Dec. 2. After city council members expressed a desire to table the decision until then, they explained that they wanted to allow for further consideration and get more community input. Supporters of the proposed CIT center displeased with the council’s decision approached the podium to voice their displeasure. Ingrid Barber said, “I would like to inform the city council, on behalf of the Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board, that there’s no need to table the discussion until December,” Barber said. “We’re going to open the facility as a 23-hour facility, just like we do in our clinic, so we don’t need your vote. Make sure you don’t table it. We are going to proceed moving forward. We’re going to have 23-hour beds,” Ingrid added.
The planning commission and city council called for a recess so everyone could stretch their legs and calm themselves. This matter will be further discussed at the city council’s Dec. 2 meeting. If you would like to voice your approval or concerns, you are encouraged to attend.
