KING OF PRUSSIA — Montgomery County officials took sledgehammers to the wall of a building inside an office complex, breaking ground on a new emergency behavioral health crisis center.
Elected officials, Montgomery County staff, mental health advocates, and those in law enforcement gathered for the Monday afternoon ceremony that kicked off plans to construct a 33,000-square-foot facility at 1021 W. 8th Ave. in King of Prussia that would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, serving residents of all ages experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.
“This is a really important day, because there wasn’t a place for families to go, and that’s what we’re building here,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija.
Montgomery County invests $18M in new emergency behavioral health crisis center
Montgomery County commissioners announced an $18 million investment into the facility last summer, an unparalleled action the trio of elected officials deemed necessary as the nation’s mental health crisis worsens.
Around one in five people experience mental illness, according to 2021 figures from the National Alliance for Mental Illness, which translates to 57.8 million people across the nation. Around 5,500 people received treatment from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Makhija said, adding that 10,000 people have called crisis hotlines and the county’s mobile crisis team assisted around 1,000 people so far this year.
“The numbers are absolutely staggering, and yet we know there are so many more people out there that are not receiving the treatment they need,” he said, stressing “together we’re going to help tens of thousands of people at the time that they need it most.”
Costs increased since the initial contract awarded to the Phoenix, Arizona-based Connections Health Solutions, bringing the project’s total to $21 million. The project’s opening date was initially slated for fall 2025, but a Montgomery County spokesperson said the facility is now expected to open in December 2026.
“This facility is going to operate with a ‘no wrong door approach.’ That means that a person can find specialized care here no matter how they get here,” Makhija said.
“When this center opens, it will fill a gap in our community that we’ve felt for far too long, creating a more complete network of care,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder, “and so no matter where someone comes from, where they live, how old they are, or what they’re going through, they will get the help they need right here 24/7 in Montgomery County because Montgomery county cares.”
Elected officials and partners involved in Montgomery County’s new emergency behavioral health crisis center gather for a photo following a Nov. 17, 2025 ground breaking ceremony at 1021 W. 8th Ave. in King of Prussia. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija makes remarks during a Nov. 17, 2025 groundbreaking ceremony in King of Prussia, joined by elected officials and partners involved in the construction of Montgomery County’s new emergency behavioral health crisis center. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Clare Higgins, HopeWork’s program director for family satisfaction and advocacy teams, speaks during a Nov. 17, 2025 groundbreaking ceremony of a new emergency behavioral health center in King of Prussia. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Montgomery County’s new emergency behavioral health crisis center will be located at 1021 W. 8th Ave. in King of Prussia. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
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Elected officials and partners involved in Montgomery County’s new emergency behavioral health crisis center gather for a photo following a Nov. 17, 2025 ground breaking ceremony at 1021 W. 8th Ave. in King of Prussia. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Delving into the July 2024 contract, around $6 million was allocated for the project through county capital dollars. Additional streams included $6 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, along with federal and county COVID-19 relief dollars, a Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and opioid settlement funding.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday applauded the initiative, stressing that mental health was a “top priority” for his work in office.
“Magic happens when we work together as a team, and it’s happening right here in Montgomery County,” Sunday said.
Officials further expressed their desire to make the new emergency behavioral health crisis center a model example, as Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello aimed to have the facility “set the mark as far as what crisis centers could be.”
“Montgomery County will work with any county throughout Pennsylvania that wants to follow our model in how we’re providing these types of services for the people that need it the most,” he said.
Jill Stemple, director of policy and planning, with the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, underscored the importance of taking a holistic approach, complete with partners across education, first responders, law enforcement, and provider backgrounds.
“As a person who has experienced a mental health crisis – having lived with severe depression for a good portion of my life – I am thrilled to see a crisis center I would want to be served in; that I would want the members of my family who experienced mental health issues to be served in,” Stemple said.
Connections Health Solutions currently operates centers in Arizona, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, according to Connections Health Solutions Chief Growth and Development Officer Matt Miller. Spotlighting the Harrisburg facility, Miller noted 5,000 people were served, and “more than 70 percent of the individuals coming in have been stabilized within 24 hours, safely discharged back to the community or with their outpatient providers.”
The facility will have a starting capacity of up to 32 youth and adult patients, but Miller told MediaNews Group that figure could later increase. The center would employ around 100 people.
“We look forward to doing this here and at a much greater level and … we’re pleased to be part of the community and join Montgomery County’s focus on providing dedicated behavioral health crisis center care to all those who need it,” Miller said.
Project partners underscored the importance of a single service resource crucial to alleviate the burdens of already strained area hospitals and first responders. Referencing the Harrisburg center, there’ve been “nearly 500 law enforcement drop offs through [the] end of October,” which has “reduce[d] the burden on law enforcement,” Miller said.
“It’s going to grant greater access to our citizens for the very critical care that they need when they’re in crisis,” said Brendan Dougherty, a detective with the Upper Merion Township Police Department.