The Bucks County Commissioners have approved funding for a mental health facility designed to interrupt the flow of those with mental health disorders going to jail.
After extended planning and discussions, officials said groundbreaking for the $16 million Diversion, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Treatment Center is expected this summer. The facility will be in Doylestown Township where the Bucks County Women’s Community Corrections Center stood before it was razed earlier this year.
Funding includes money from the American Rescue Plan, as well as other federal and state grants, the county said.
At 23,000-square–feet, the one-story building will model similar facilities around the country that allow a district judge to place someone there for professional evaluation and connection to appropriate resources.
Those with mental illness who are leaving the county jail, currently incarcerated, on probation or on parole can also be provided for at the center, officials said. Bucks County’s center can accommodate 28 people.
The length of stays will vary from weeks to nine months, depending on the patient’s needs. Center staff will work collaboratively with Bucks County’s mental health court, established in 2021.
The center will “serve people in the criminal justice system who are suffering from mental illness,” a statement from the county said.
Bernard Griggs, the county’s project and diversity officer, will oversee the project.
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