VHC Health Reaches Agreement With Arlington To Expand Mental Health Services

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County and VHC Health announced a joint agreement Tuesday to create an advanced mental health and rehab facility in the county that will include a 24-bed adolescent unit.

Under the agreement, VHC Health will purchase 5.8 acres at 610 S. Carlin Springs Rd. from Arlington County and transform it into a rehabilitation and behavioral health wellness facility.

“This expansion of mental health services in the region has been a long-time priority for the board and for VHC Health,” Russell E. McWey, chair of the VHC Health board of directors, said in a statement Tuesday.

VHC Health, formerly Virginia Hospital Center, plans on breaking ground on the new facility in late 2023 or early 2024 and expects construction to be finished by late 2025.

The agreement is a letter of intent reached between Arlington County and VHC Health. Once a formal plan is submitted, it will go through the regular county review process and final decisions, including approval for plans and the sale of the property, will come before the Arlington County Board for action.

Arlington County acquired the S. Carlin Springs Rd. site in 2017 in a land-swap agreement with the hospital as part of the expansion of the main hospital site on N. George Mason Drive. The letter of intent calls for the county to swap a chunk of the site back to VHC Health for additional mental health inpatient and outpatient services.

Along with greater inpatient rehab services capacity, the new facility on S. Carlin Springs Rd. will house a 24-bed adult unit, a 24-bed adolescent unit, and a 24-bed recovery and wellness unit.

The facility will also have five outpatient programs: Adult Intensive Outpatient Program, Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, Recovery and Wellness Intensive Outpatient Program, Adult Partial Hospitalization Program, and an Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic.

VHC Health had originally planned to add a behavioral health unit to its main campus expansion, ARLnow reported Tuesday. The hospital will instead build a 14-bed geriatric behavioral health unit on the hospital’s main campus on N. George Mason Drive "to continue to serve patients in need of a higher level of medical care," VHC Health said.

Arlington County will retain the remaining land at the S. Carlin Springs Rd. site "for future public uses compatible with the VHC Health environment."

"With the growing demand, mental health services continue to be a priority,” Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said in a statement. “We remain committed to expanding capacity and offering services and support for individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges and their families."

The inpatient rehabilitation services will care for those with brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, neurological and other conditions. VHC Health currently has 20 existing rehabilitation beds for patients at the main campus. The new facility will increase total beds from 20 to 40, providing more care to those needing to improve function and quality of life.

“Improving access to community-based mental health care is a pressing need in every jurisdiction in the commonwealth," state Sen. Barbara Favola said in a statement. "I am proud to see my local hospital, VHC Health, responding to this need in such a patient-centered way."