County officials share plans for Henrico County Detox and Residential Treatment Center

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Henrico County officials have shared plans for the Henrico County Detox and Residential Treatment Center coming to the county by summer 2026.

According to a press release shared by the county on Tuesday, June 3, the facility will be a 60-bed recovery center where people struggling with addiction can be guided safely through their withdrawal symptoms and receive short-term, stabilizing treatment for substance use-disorder.

The center will be built and operated through a public-private partnership between the county and Pyramid Healthcare.

The facility comes as the county said opioid overdose deaths continue to rise, with the Commonwealth seeing an increase of 59% per 100,000 residents from 2019 to 2023, which disproportionately impacts Black residents.

County officials said Henrico County is one of seven localities, and the only county, identified by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (VOAA) as having a disproportionately high number of Black opioid overdose deaths (212 deaths and a 167% increase from 2019 through 2023). To address the issue, the county said it has applied for funding through VOAA’s Operation STOP! grants program.

A county spokesperson said the facility’s construction will be funded with $10.7 million from Henrico. Pyramid Healthcare will operate the center under a 30-year lease at no cost to the county.

"The company, based in Altoona, Penn., offers a full range of detoxification, residential and outpatient services at facilities across seven states, which include Virginia locations in Radford, Newport News and King George," the county said.

The recovery center will have 60 beds, 10 of which will be set aside for detoxification or withdrawal from the toxic effects of drugs and/or alcohol – a medically intensive process that typically lasts three to five days. The remaining 50 beds will be available for stays up to 30 days for inpatient treatment for substance-use disorders.

The facility is reportedly designed to be flexible, allowing staff to temporarily allocate more of the beds for either detoxification or treatment based on needs.

The center spans 31,479 square feet and includes a gymnasium and support spaces. The facility will reportedly accept patients regardless of insurance coverage and residency.

Admissions, which will include a screening process, will occur through Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services and Pyramid Healthcare, according to the county. Under the county’s agreement with Pyramid, Henrico patients will be guaranteed treatment at another Pyramid location if no bed is available at the Henrico facility.

According to a social media post by the county, a livestream and groundbreaking ceremony for the treatment center was held at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.