Lenape Valley Foundation and a coalition of community partners broke ground on construction of a walk-in, standalone crisis stabilization center that will serve Bucks County families and individuals facing urgent mental health and substance use issues last month
Called Bright Path Center, the 22,000-square-foot building will be located next to the existing Lenape Valley Foundation site at 500 N. West Street, on the grounds of, but separate from, Doylestown Hospital. Bright Path Center will unite an array of behavioral health crisis services under one roof and deliver acute, trauma-informed, person-centered care in a calming environment. Construction is slated to begin this summer, with a target opening date of late 2025.
At a ceremony on May 7, officials hailed the center – the first of its kind in Pennsylvania – as a beacon of hope and healing that the Bucks County community deeply needs.
“Mental illness, substance misuse and addiction, and intellectual disabilities do not discriminate; they are found in every community, everywhere in the world. The difference is how the community responds to these challenges,” said Sharon Curran, president and CEO of Lenape Valley Foundation, praising the multi-disciplinary team that has been working to create the center. “The Bright Path Center will be just that – a bright path leading the way to recovery and resiliency for those entering its doors.”
When Bright Path Center opens, experienced behavioral health professionals will be available around the clock to welcome, assess, and stabilize those experiencing urgent challenges related to mental health, drug and alcohol use, and/or intellectual disabilities. With separate spaces for children and adults, the center is specially designed to offer compassionate care to individuals and families to de-escalate a critical situation and determine the best path forward.
The center is a collaborative effort between Lenape Valley Foundation, Doylestown Health, Bucks County Department of Behavioral Health/Developmental Programs, Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, and Magellan Behavioral Health. Lenape Valley Foundation will operate the Center.
The project has received support from leaders at every level of government, from Doylestown Township supervisors to the Bucks County Commissioners and state and federal representatives. During the ceremony, many of them spoke of the need for the center. Noting that Mother’s Day is approaching, County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said she will lift the ceremonial groundbreaking shovel “in honor of all the mothers who will be able to find help when their children, of any age, need it – and all the mothers who didn’t have a place like Bright Path Center to go to when they needed it.”
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