JAMES CITY — State, regional and local officials broke ground Wednesday for a $12.5 million mental-health center that Gov. Glenn Youngkin said will be a triumph of government action.
The 14,000-square-foot Colonial Behavioral Health facility — called the Center for Support & Wellness — is being built on the grounds of Eastern State Hospital thanks to a state grant. The project, 18 years in the making, was one of seven to first receive funding in December 2023 and is being spearheaded by David Coe, CBH’s executive director.
Youngkin, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Suzanne, said it was “more than a celebration of a groundbreaking … it’s about the giant leaps of progress” that have been made throughout the years to improve the lives of Virginians afflicted with behavioral health challenges and the families and communities who are affected by such crises.
The commonwealth has poured billions of dollars into transforming the behavioral health system since the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and the 2013 shooting involving state Sen. Creigh Deeds and his son.
Youngkin called the groundbreaking “one of those impactful moments,” one in which local, regional and state leaders on both sides of the aisle “set their political differences down” and worked collectively to achieve.
“When we work together, we can move mountains,” Youngkin said.
State, regional and local officials, including Suzanne and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, center, broke ground on Colonial Behavioral Health’s Center for Support & Wellness on Wednesday. Rob Ostermaier/Consociate Media
The facility will offer round-the-clock stabilization and support as an alternative to hospital emergency departments; serve as a crisis stabilization center, providing short-term residential care with access to psychiatric, nursing, counseling and peer support services; and act as a CIT assessment center, where law enforcement officers can safely connect people undergoing a crisis with trained clinicians rather than placing them in jail or emergency custody. The facility will also be a hub for mobile crisis teams that can intervene before situations escalate.
Virginia, along with the rest of the nation, has experienced an uptick in the number of individuals with behavioral health issues as a result of the Covid pandemic, which has placed a burden on first responders and emergency rooms, often the places where those experiencing a mental health episode end up. The new facility, which will provide 24 beds, will help alleviate some of the stress placed on all involved in such cases.
The Center for Support & Wellness, the only one of its kind between the Richmond area and Hampton, will be “a place where people are cared for in a humane and meaningful way,” said Jim Icenhour, chair of the James City County Board of Supervisors, one of five government officials who spoke during the ceremony. “We are thrilled to have it here.”
Janet Vestal Kelly, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, thanked Coe for his “vision and persistence” in leading efforts to bring the facility to fruition.
“We all understand the heavy toll that mental health challenges take on our communities, or region and our commonwealth,” Coe said. “But the true weight is carried by the individuals and families who wake up each day and face the harsh realities of serious mental illness. … While there are no easy fixes, we intend to offer new opportunities and support we believe can and will make a difference.”
Colonial Behavioral Health serves people in the cities of Poquoson and Williamsburg and the counties of James City and York who are affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance use disorders. Last year, CBH provided care to more than 3,500 people in the community.
The center is anticipated to open in September 2026. T
Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net
