The Orange County Board of Commissioners recently took a major step in its effort to expand local behavioral health services. The future Crisis Diversion Facility is now set to begin construction in August, following a recent board approval of the project’s building costs.
Orange County’s upcoming crisis center strives to improve support services for adults and children experiencing a behavioral health crisis, while also offering a better alternative to the typical diversion locations, like a detention center or hospital emergency department.
At the June 16 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved a near $23 million Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for construction on the five-acre Hillsborough site purchased by the county last year. The project has been in development since 2019, following a study on gaps in crisis services in Orange County.
“And what we all landed on as the gap that was missing was exactly this Behavioral Health Center,” Commissioner Sally Greene said at the meeting. “So, it’s been a long time coming. There’s been a lot of discussion about it. Obviously there’s a need, and I want to thank every one of you who bravely stood up and spoke up in support of it.”
Lower than prior estimates, the construction cost will allow for several sustainability features, including solar panels accounting for about 70% of the building’s energy usage. The facility is set to complete construction in late 2027 and welcome occupants in the spring.
The $29 million project includes a 23-hour Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) unit for patients four years and older, as well as a Facility Based Crisis (FBC) unit for adults needing a longer stabilization period. The site off Waterstone Drive also plans to house a community peer living room, integrated discharge services, and a behavioral health resources hub.
Rendering of the crisis facility’s open activity area. Beyond its urgent care and facility based crisis units, the center will feature integrated discharge services and a behavioral health resources hub. (Featured photo via the Orange County government/CPL.)
County Manager Travis Myren said revenue from the facility’s 16-bed crisis unit will cover its $2.7 million annual operating cost, with a county subsidy to help cover urgent care patients carrying Medicaid or private insurance. With the GMP approved, he said the county can begin acquiring additional partnerships to fill out its resources. Myren also shared the potential for funding reimbursements from the state for the urgent care services.
Board Chair Jean Hamilton, however, shared her concern for the facility’s high operating costs, noting how funding for the project is part of a larger, county-wide conversation about reducing its operational spending.
“I think in addition to all the possible partnerships to fund operations, assuming that we passed this, we as a county will have to look at our own operations and how we can be more efficient.” Hamilton said. “What are the things we’re not going to do because we’re going to be funding this service? I think given the likely passage of the [state] constitutional amendment that will limit tax increases, this county is going to be in that position to have to make some hard decisions.”
Reflected by the unanimous vote, most board members shared how that ongoing discussion should not hinder the board from moving forward with the project. Commissioner Earl McKee stated how it is up to the county whether it wants to pay for efforts now or let the county’s behavioral health issues “fester” and ultimately pay later.
Many county residents and local law enforcement workers shared similar sentiments during the public comment portion. According to the Crisis Diversion Manager for Chapel Hill’s Police Department Sarah Belcher, there are currently only two options for those experiencing mental health or substance-related crises: an already overloaded emergency department or jail.
“A crisis diversion facility would change that,” Belcher said. “It would provide a safe, person centered, trauma-informed alternative. One that focuses on stabilizing individuals with compassion and expertise rather than a punitive response or rushed medical triage.
“Instead of simply treating the immediate emergency and sending someone home with a sheet of paper and a list of phone numbers,” she continued. “This facility would offer wrap-around support staff who would work directly with individuals to connect them to ongoing treatment, community resources, and follow up care before they ever walk out of the door.”
Karen Stegman, a former Chapel Hill Town Council member and the Democratic nominee for an at-large seat on the board this fall, echoed how she thinks the project should “proceed without delay.”
“Our community is already absorbing significant costs for behavioral health crises,” Stegman said. “We’re just paying for them through our most expensive public sectors, as you’ve heard — our sheriff’s department, police, EMS, emergency rooms. I also know you all care very deeply about our county’s youth. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for teenagers in North Carolina. Four in ten North Carolina high school students report persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and one in ten have attempted suicide. In Orange County specifically, youth ages zero to 24 make up 24% of all mental health hospitalizations.
“Our kids are in crisis right now,” she said.
Absent from the board’s vote was former BOCC Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, who died Sunday following complications from a surgical procedure conducted that week. A longtime elected official in Orange County and advocate for residents with disabilities, she was a champion for the future Crisis Diversion Facility and has listed the project as one of several she wanted to see completed during an expected third term on the board.
To hear the full discussion, click here.
Featured photo via the Orange County government/CPL.
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