MARION, Va. (WCYB) — A $12.7 million expansion is moving forward at Mount Rogers Community Services in Marion.
News 5’s Natalea Hillen has a look at what this expansion will mean for the community.
On Hospital Avenue in Marion, construction is now underway on this 25,000 square-foot expansion at Mount Rogers Community Services with the goal of expanding access to behavioral health services in the region.
For people like Smyth County resident Anthony Dennison, 37, those services can be life changing.
I’ve been down that dark road before and, you know, thank God that I’m recovering from it, said Smyth County resident, Anthony Dennison.
Dennison, a recovering meth addict, said he has turned to Mount Rogers on and off for years and credits the staff here with helping people find a path forward.
They’re very friendly people. The staff is eager to help with anything that you need help with, said Dennison.
Leaders said these services have been in place for years, but the need has only continued to grow. After four years of planning, they said this expansion is about meeting that demand.
We’ve had the services in place for some time. What we found is that there’s an expanded need for those services, said Mount Rogers Community Services Senior Director of Operations, Kathy Kressel.
The project will double the number of crisis stabilization beds from 8 to 16, move the crisis receiving center closer to care, add a new peer center, along with expanded training and office space.
Bringing the crisis receiving center back over to where the crisis stabilization unit, that just decreases the amount of time that somebody’s going to have to take while they’re in a crisis, said Kressel.
The $12.7 million project is backed by a $5 million USDA grant and a mix of local funding.
We’ve gotten a Wellsprings Grant, as well as the Smyth County Community Foundation, said Kressel.
Dennison said for people fighting addiction, this expansion represents more than treatment, it offers people a real opportunity to move forward.
We’re all human, we all make mistakes and I understand that, you know, sometimes addicts get labeled and that label i s hard to get rid of, but I feel like this community opening up this program will actually help that and kind of dim that label on people by opening up new opportunities for people here in this community, said Dennison.
Leaders said this will be an 18-month project, with the expansion expected to be complete in October of 2027.