DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Mechanicsville, VA 23111
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mechanicsville, VA Permit No.141
Vol. 31, No. 24 | Richmond Suburban News | October 15, 2014
Crisis Center opens at Memorial Regional Unit will assist deputies with evaluations By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
I
t’s a new day for mental health services in Hanover County. Health department officials, county government leaders, Bon Secours administrators and interested citizens gathered last week at Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville to cut the ribbon on a new mental health Crisis Intervention Center located at the hospital. The center is one of only three such units located in Central Virginia. Bon Secours senior vice president Michael Robinson said the Hanover facility would serve as a model for other localities in the state. The facility will offer mental health patients emergency services seven days
a week 10 hours a day from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. The facility was funded through a state grant from the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services in the amount of almost $452,000. The unit will be staffed by one Hanover County deputy trained in mental health services, a crisis technician and a part-time peer specialist. Hospital medical staff also will be available. The project, a partnership between Bon Secours, the Hanover County Sheriff ’s Office and the Hanover Community Services Board, will provide law enforcement with a safe location to transport patients who require mental health evaluations.
Jim Ridolphi for The Local
Almost 200 citizens attended a town hall meeting last week at the Montpelier Center for Arts and Education.
Montpelier town hall draws crowd Jim Ridolphi forThe Local
Bon Secours Virginia Health System CEO Peter J. Bernard, left, Hanover County sheriff David Hines, Hanover County Board of Supervisors chairman Sean Davis, Hanover Community Services Board executive director Ivy Sager, Community Services Board chairman William Brenzovich, Bon Secours vice president Michael Robinson watch as Bon Secours vice president Sister Anne Marie Mack cuts the ribbon on a new mental health crisis see CRISIS, pg. 12 center at Memorial Regional Medical Center.
By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local If the turnout at last week’s town hall meeting in Montpelier is any indication, Hanover County citizens are interested in what their elected and appointed representatives have see MONTPELIER, pg. 15
Hanover County Board of Supervisors considers live broadcast of meetings By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
I
n an effort to provide more citizen access to public meetings, Sean Davis, Henry District, chairman of the Hanover County
Board of Supervisors, is promoting the broadcast of future board meetings. He presented the idea to his fellow supervisors at last Wednesday’s meeting and initiated several steps to begin the process. First, Davis tasked county administrator
87870-01
www.r-ci.net
804-249-2798
Cecil R. “Rhu” Harris Jr. with researching the “nuts and bolts” of how other counties broadcast their meetings either by live stream or other methods. “Vice chairman [Wayne] Hazzard (South Anna District) and I are going to meet with
chairman (Manuel) Alvarez of Goochland [County] in the near future,” Davis said. “They are live streaming their meetings and providing citizens with more access.” Davis said attending board meetings is see BOARD, pg. 12
CHECK OUT OUR FULL PAGE AD THIS WEEK! Now Offering More Than 10 Move-In Ready Homes to Choose From!