‘We got our child back’: Parents say Henrico’s Crisis Receiving Center helped save son during mental health crisis

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- St. Joseph's Villa in Henrico County recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its "Crisis Receiving Center." The free, walk-in facility offers a new, human-focused approach to youth mental health.

The center may be small, but 8News learned its impact has been mighty.

Within its first year of opening, the facility's professionals have helped more than 132 kids get the immediate mental health treatment they need instead of being taken to an emergency department.

8News spoke with two parents who have seen their son's life change as a result of the center. Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, the parents wish to remain anonymous. In 8News' segment, their voices were altered and their faces were not captured on camera.

Grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic and tackling the pressures of being a sophomore in high school, their son attempted to take his life last year when he was 16 years old.

8News asked about their child's demeanor after spending time at St. Joseph's Villa.

"There was a major difference in just his attitude -- his approach to life," the father said. "It was almost like we got our child back again."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, 1 in 5 high school students seriously considered attempting suicide.

The parents told 8News that, at the surface, children and teens enduring mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are not given as many options as one might imagine. They recalled their experience taking their son to a hospital amid the peak of his depression. The father described it as more of a psych ward.

"They had armed guards, the police were there -- they had them handcuffed to the bed," he said. "One of the kids was handcuffed to the door."

The father added that his son would be mixed in with much older people. Additionally, mental health is different for everyone -- as are the appropriate solutions. In this case, the child's parents wanted more for him than just medication. That's when they heard about the Crisis Receiving Center -- a little cottage in Henrico.

8News toured the center and spoke with Clinical Services Senior Director Linda Saltonstall and Crisis Services Director Bob Larkin.

"Instead of having to go to hospital emergency rooms and sit for a long time to be evaluated," Saltonstall began, "You can come here and get a rapid, rapid assessment."

The crisis receiving center is designed to feel like a home. Trained clinicians talk with your child and give them space to decompress either alone or with peers who are going through the same thing.

"It was more of a nurturing environment where, 'Hey, guess what? I'm with my peers, they're going through something similar, but we're going to get through this together,'" the father said.

8News asked how much a program like this costs.

"Not a thing," Larkin said. "That's the beauty of the whole program and our connection with Henrico County. There is no cost."

Larkin added that this type of facility is very special in the area.

"[It] is the only one in the state of Virginia and one of only a handful in the country," Larkin said.

Kids can stay at the Crisis Receiving Center for 23 hours. It has showers, activities, a kitchen and reclining chairs, but not beds -- because it is not designed as an overnight site. After the 23 hours are up, the team works with families to decide what their next steps are.

The parents 8News spoke with worked with the team and their son to decide his plan. He went on to the nearby, 2-week Crisis Stabilization Unit, which is run in collaboration with the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority and allows children to stay up to 15 days at a time.

The parents explained how big of a difference it can make when a child is given the opportunity to heal in a home-like environment, surrounded by peers, rather than put into a hospital with what could feel like little more than medication by their side.

They added that, at the facility, they were able to visit every day and that their son even made friends who served as another support system during his journey to recovery.

"This generation, I think it's very important that we are a little more aware about mental health -- that we are taking time to listen to our youth, to observe our youth, to ask questions with our youth," the mother said.

The parents shared a message to the community and other parents who may be facing similar concerns.

"Just realize you're not alone," the father said. "I think a lot of parents feel like they've failed as a parent if they have someone outside help them navigate troubled times. Don't feel that way. If you don't take action, that's when you're being a bad parent. A good parent is someone who looks at all the options in front of them and then makes a decision that's going to be best for not just you, but your child."

There is a great deal of gratitude surrounding the center. The parents 8News spoke with profusely thanked the CRC for its help serving as a stepping stone -- and a turning point -- in their son's life. The CRC employees 8News spoke with offered an immense "thank you" to Daniel Rigsby with Henrico County for his role in bringing the receiving center to life and helping it achieve its one-year-anniversary milestone.

Even though the center is operated out of Henrico County, its services are open to any kid between the ages of 7 and 17 who experiences a mental health crisis and lives in Central Virginia's "region 4 catchment area." You can find additional information here.