June 27 is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screening Day. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers an online screening tool for those who may be experiencing symptoms.
The VA website says it is the world's leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress, and explains “PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or traumatic event.”
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Deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office intervened in a teen suicide attempt on Wednesday afternoon.
On January 17 at 2:30 p.m., deputies responded to a distress call from a teenager contacting the suicide crisis hotline. Rushing to an undisclosed school in south Stafford, they found the juvenile hanging from playground equipment with a belt around his neck.
Deputy J.J. Holetzky quickly lifted the juvenile to relieve neck pressure, and Deputy M.A. Floirendo assisted in removing the belt. Deputies J.A. Buzzard and C.D. Brown secured the young man, ensuring his safety. Medical professionals confirmed no serious injuries, and the deputies transported him to the hospital for mental health treatment.
Major Shawn Kimmitz commended the prompt actions of the deputies. The incident highlights law enforcement’s commitment to community well-being, he said.
The sheriff’s office encouraged those who need help with mental health crises to call the crisis hotline number, 988.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin praised the Prince William County Crisis Receiving Center, which will house adults and children having mental breakdowns.
Youngkin joined other state and local leaders today, Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 11:45 for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 79,000-square-foot center that will replace a Gander Mountain store at 14040 Worth Avenue. He called the plans for the center a model that localities in the rest of the state would copy and use.
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Prince William County taxpayers own the Incredible Universe building, most recently used as a Gander Mountain store.
The county purchased a 155,000-square-foot building near Potomac Mills mall, at 14041 Worth Avenue, for just over $15 million. Last year, it signed a $10 million, 11-year lease on the building to open a crisis receiving center (other than a hospital or jail) where police can take those suffering mental breakdowns for help.
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The store will be the future site of a new Prince William County Government crisis receiving center designed to help residents experiencing a mental breakdown. The center will provide a place, other than a hospital or jail, for patients to receive help and recover.
More in a press release:
As Prince William County’s new Crisis Receiving Center and Community Services Building continues to be built, Prince William County and Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey welcomed Senator Tim Kaine for a tour and round table discussion on Monday, March 20, 2023.
The Crisis Receiving Center, located on Worth Avenue in Woodbridge, will address the well-being of people experiencing a behavioral health crisis. The walk-in center will have 16 beds for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis who need intervention and 23 recliners where people can receive assessment and treatment for up to 23 hours. The CRC will also help divert people from the criminal justice system.
Supervisor Bailey and Community Services Director Lisa Madron led Senator Kaine and other stakeholders on a tour of the Crisis Receiving Center. Following the tour of the facility, Senator Kaine joined Supervisor Bailey and Madron, as well as several county and state officials, community leaders and subject matter experts, for a Mental Health Round Table Discussion. The discussion focused on rising mental health issues and resources to combat this crisis affecting Prince William County residents and Virginians.
“We were honored to host Senator Kaine and share the county’s progress on the Crisis Receiving Center,” said Supervisor Bailey. “Champions of this project have helped to secure federal, state and local funding essential in opening the Crisis Receiving Center later next year.”
Funding for the facility was announced in a press conference in July 2022, and Connections Health Solutions was selected as the vendor to operate the Crisis Receiving Center in November 2022. On May 11, 2023, the Department of Community Services will host a Dedication and Intention Setting Ceremony on-site. The ceremony is intended as the first step in actualizing the vision of the CRC in changing how the community sees, treats and supports those in mental health crisis.
In January, Stafford County Sheriff's Deputies spent more hours than there are in a month sitting with mental patients handcuffed to hospital beds.
Now leaders in Stafford County are taking seriously the number of mental health calls to which law enforcement must respond and the region's lack of mental health services.
