Montgomery County officials announce $18M investment in new behavioral health crisis center

Montgomery County will spend $18 million on an emergency behavioral health crisis center to help residents and families experiencing mental health emergencies, county officials said Monday.

The county picked Connections Health Solutions LLC, a venture-capital-backed Arizona company that is expanding across the country, to operate the 24/7 center, which will function as a mental health emergency department. It is expected to open in fall of 2025, though the location has not yet been selected.

“The launch of the emergency behavioral health crisis center marks a significant step forward in Montgomery County’s commitment to serving our most vulnerable residents in their most vulnerable moments,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Money to pay for the facility will come from American Rescue Plan Act funds earmarked for mental health services, portions of the county’s opioid settlement funds, and other sources, officials said.

Phoenix-based Connections announced last October that it had received a $28 million investment to help it expand. Late last year, Cumberland, Perry, and Dauphin Counties in central Pennsylvania awarded Connections a contract to start and operate a mobile crisis response program and a walk-in center in Harrisburg.

Connections is also expanding in Washington State and Virginia.