During their April 15 meeting, the Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase and sale agreement for a property that would serve as the future site of a crisis diversion facility, marking a major step forward in the county’s commitment to providing comprehensive behavioral health services.
The Board approved the agreement for a five-acre parcel of land, located off Waterstone Drive in Hillsborough, for $1.35 million. The Board’s decision authorizes County Manager Travis Myren to execute the land purchase once the final inspections are completed.
Once developed, the facility will offer a supportive and therapeutic environment for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises while diverting them from emergency rooms and the criminal justice system.
The property is considered ideal because of its proximity to the UNC Hospitals campus in an area already zoned for hospital use. Additionally, the size of the property will allow for an attractive one-story facility with grounds for a large courtyard and healing garden.
“This is a landmark occasion for our county and for the many residents in need of immediate, compassionate behavioral health care,” said Jamezetta Bedford, chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. “The crisis diversion facility will be a vital resource that aligns with our values of equity, dignity, and proactive care—and supports the Healthy Community goal of our strategic plan.”
The planned facility will provide behavioral health urgent care to individuals 4 years old or older for up to 24 hours. It will also provide facility-based crisis services for up to two weeks for adults and a peer living room and resource center with information about behavioral health services available in Orange County. Significantly, the facility will be integrated with resources to support housing, social services, food security, harm reduction, and domestic violence intervention. The behavioral health facility will be designed to work in close coordination with first responders, healthcare providers, and community partners.
“This initiative not only expands local access to behavioral health services but also helps reduce strain on our emergency systems,” said Orange County Manager Travis Myren. “It represents a community-centered approach to crisis care. One that establishes a therapeutic intervention to address the immediate crisis that someone is experiencing, and then creating a discharge plan that links that person to community based services.”
Gilbane Selected as Construction Manager-At-Risk
The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the selection of Gilbane Building Company as the construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) for the crisis diversion facility during the April 15 Board of Commissioners meeting. The CMAR model allows the county to collaborate closely with the construction manager during the design and pre-construction phases, ensuring greater cost control, schedule coordination, and value engineering throughout the development process. Gilbane, a company with extensive experience delivering behavioral healthcare projects, was selected following a competitive qualifications-based selection process. Eight companies submitted proposals for the project.
Planning and design for the facility will begin later this year, with public engagement opportunities as the project moves forward. Groundbreaking is anticipated before the end of 2025 and the facility is slated to open in early 2027.
Crisis Diversion Facility Background
In April 2019, more than 30 community stakeholders from the criminal justice system, healthcare community, behavioral health system, and housing arena came together to participate in an Orange County Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) workshop facilitated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The SIM process is designed to inform and address community-based responses to the involvement of individuals with behavioral health issues and intercepts with the criminal justice system.
An intercept map and final report were created. One of the identified community gaps that emerged from this process was the critical need for a crisis diversion facility to divert individuals in behavioral health crisis from the criminal justice system and the emergency departments at UNC Hospitals.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved a contract for a behavioral health crisis diversion facility in 2022. In 2023, the Board of Commissioners authorized the design and construction of the facility in the Capital Investment Plan.
The facility will operate in the crisis continuum of care by ensuring that when an individual is in a behavioral health crisis, there will be the appropriate level of response and therapeutic intervention. In addition to first responders diverting people to the facility, anyone in the community will be able to walk in to seek crisis services, peer support or information. In total, Orange County estimates 365 behavioral health visits per month including those before, during, and after a crisis.
For updates and additional information, visit www.orangecountync.gov/3168/Crisis-Diversion-Facility