Bucks Bright Path Center called first of its kind for behavioral health
Bright Path Center in Bucks County unites behavioral health crisis services, serving 7,000 residents with mental health and substance use care.
The Pennsylvania departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Human Services recently recognized the Bright Path Center as a first-of-its-kind behavioral health crisis facility in Pennsylvania.
Opening this summer, Bright Path Center is expected to unite an array of behavioral health crisis services under one roof, delivering acute, trauma-informed, person-centered care in a calming environment.
It will serve approximately 7,000 Bucks County residents annually.
According to a release, the behavioral health crisis center will provide residents with mental health and substance use services under one roof.
It will also offer 24-hour walk-in services for residents to receive a drug and alcohol assessment to determine what level of care is best for their needs.
It is funded in part by a $7 million DDAP investment from Opioid Distributor Settlement dollars secured for Pennsylvania by Governor Josh Shapiro during his time as Attorney General as well as PA DHS funding through the federal Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and state county base mental health funding.
“The Shapiro Administration is a proud partner in this collaborative effort, as it reflects what can be achieved when we all come together – state and local governments, healthcare providers, community-based organizations and others – to prioritize our shared commitment to treatment, recovery, and healthier communities,” said DDAP Secretary Latika Davis-Jones. “We know that crisis stabilization services for individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders are a lifeline. By expanding access to immediate, person-centered care, this center will strengthen the continuum of care for individuals and families in Bucks County.”
The center is a collaborative effort between Doylestown Health, Bucks County Department of Behavioral Health/Developmental Programs, Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, and Lenape Valley Foundation.
Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission is the Single County Authority for drug and alcohol services in Bucks County, providing community assessment, capacity building, planning, implementation and evaluation to support drug and alcohol programming for the county.
“We are deeply grateful for the financial support of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, as we welcome Bright Path Center to our Bucks County community,” said Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission Executive Director Diane Rosati. “Their funds represent not just an investment in the construction of Bucks County’s new crisis stabilization unit for residents with substance use and mental health issues, but will also result in respectful, welcoming, high quality, and immediate access to services.”
Bright Path Center is being called a major advancement in providing health care.
On its website, the Lenape Valley Foundation commented on how the center will be different.
“While hospitals do an excellent job of evaluating and caring for people experiencing medical crisis, the crowded, sometimes noisy and chaotic environment of a hospital emergency department can exacerbate the distress of a person experiencing a behavioral health issue,” it said.
With separate spaces for children and adults, the center is specially designed to receive, stabilize, and refer individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis related to mental health, drug and alcohol use, or intellectual disabilities.
Bright Path Center will be located on the grounds of Penn Medicine Doylestown Hospital, next to Lenape Valley Foundation’s existing location at 500 N. West Street, Doylestown.