Governor Youngkin visits Chesapeake Regional to discuss Behavioral Health program

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Governor Glenn Youngkin visited Chesapeake Regional Healthcare today to learn more about plans to build a comprehensive Behavioral Health program at the hospital.

The City of Chesapeake, the Commonwealth’s second largest and most populous city, is without a licensed inpatient behavioral health unit.

The program Chesapeake Regional is planning will renovate existing space to build a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), a 20-bed inpatient unit, and an intensive outpatient program. Having a Behavioral Health program in Chesapeake will allow patients to receive treatment closer to home, rather than elsewhere in the state, keeping support systems intact, which can lead to a much more effective continuum of care. The program is vital to the community.

Funding for the Behavioral Health program at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is coming from several sources and the Behavioral Health program will open in multiple phases. The CPEP will open first with the goal is to complete by summer 2024. The inpatient unit is expected to open in Oct. 2025, and the Intensive Outpatient Program is expected to open at the same time.

During the Governor’s presentation in the hospital’s lobby, Gov. Youngkin highlighted several of his behavioral health initiatives. Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, Reese Jackson, President & CEO, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, and Dr. Traci Richards, Manager of Behavioral Health Services, Chesapeake Regional also provided remarks regarding the need for a comprehensive Behavioral Health program in Chesapeake.