Same-day access to mental health services now available in Henrico, statewide
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All 40 Community Services Boards in Virginia – including the Henrico County Mental Health and Developmental Services agency – now offer same-day access for Virginians seeking mental health services.
A person in need of a mental health evaluation can access walk-in hours at any CSB throughout Virginia without an appointment, instead of waiting days or even weeks to receive an assessment.
In Henrico, citizens should call (804) 727-848 for emergency mental health situations, (804) 727-8515 for non-emergency situations or visit the MHDS office at 10299 Woodman Road in Glen Allen.
“Every person in Virginia should be able to access quality public behavioral health services, no matter who they are, how much money they make, or their insurance status,” said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. “Virginia’s Community Service Boards are the front line providers of mental health treatment, and when someone is in urgent need of clinical services, it is important that they receive care in a timely manner. Same Day Access removes many of the barriers to mental health care and helps individuals get treatment wherever they may live in the Commonwealth.”
In 2017, then-Governor Terry McAuliffe signed a bill requiring all 40 of the commonwealth’s locally-run CSBs to provide same-day access, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services began implementation in an initial group of 18 CSBs. Last year, Northam and the General Assembly provided funds for the remaining 22 CSBs to implement same-day access.
“Implementing Same Day Access is a critical step forward in our efforts to improve Virginia’s behavioral health system, and it is one that came through a tremendous amount of hard work and collaboration,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey. “I want to thank the Commonwealth’s 40 CSBs and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for working together to make this important change.”
SDA allows a person who calls or appears at a CSB during SDA hours of operation to be assessed that same day instead of potentially waiting weeks for a mental health appointment. Based on that assessment, the person is then scheduled for appropriate initial treatment within 10 days. This practice virtually eliminates “no show” appointments, increases adherence to follow-up appointments, reduces the wait time for appointments, and makes more cost-effective use of staff resources, according to state officials.
For details about the services available in Henrico, visit henrico.us/mhds.
