60-Bed Medical Detox Center Coming To Henrico, Virginia

Construction is underway on a 60-bed medical detox center in eastern Henrico County, Virginia, a project county officials say is about a year behind its original schedule but is now firmly moving forward.

Why Medical Detox Matters Here

The idea dates back to 2018 and 2019, when Henrico was in the middle of the opioid epidemic and, according to Michael Feinmel, deputy manager for public safety for Henrico County, was the fourth most impacted community in Virginia by opioids as fentanyl reshaped the local drug supply.

The crisis overwhelmed hospitals, courts, and jails. Feinmel said the county jail had effectively become a de facto hospital, treating people who needed medical detox rather than incarceration.

That gap between what the justice system could offer and what people in withdrawal actually needed is what pushed the county toward building dedicated medical detox capacity of its own.

A New Public-Private Partnership Model

Henrico entered a public-private partnership with Pyramid Healthcare to make the project happen. The county’s board of supervisors committed nearly $11 million, and Pyramid is building and will operate the 60-bed detox and rehab center at no additional cost to the county. Henrico retains ownership of the land, and county residents get priority access to care.

Feinmel described the structure as something that has not been done elsewhere in the country in quite this form, combining public funding and land ownership with a private operator handling clinical services. Henrico leaders marked the project with a groundbreaking in summer 2025, and construction is now visibly underway.

What Patients Can Expect

Patients at the new facility will be able to stay for up to 30 days and will have access to community support resources during their stay. Those who need a higher level or longer duration of care will be transferred to one of Pyramid’s other facilities in Radford, Newport News, or King George, Virginia.

Feinmel emphasized that the county’s goal is not simply to get people through detox and out the door. Connecting patients to extended care and a longer continuum of support is part of the design, not an afterthought.

Levels of Detox Care Explained

A facility like this typically functions as a medically monitored setting, the kind of environment where clinical staff can manage acute withdrawal symptoms safely rather than leaving people to detox without supervision.

This distinction matters most for substances like alcohol and benzodiazepines, where unsupervised withdrawal carries a real risk of seizures or other life-threatening complications, and for opioids, where medical staff can manage symptoms and connect patients to medication-assisted treatment options during the transition out of detox.

New Treatment Options as Drugs Evolve

Even though Henrico is seeing a drop in fentanyl overdose deaths, Feinmel said the county cannot assume the crisis is resolved. He pointed to substances already emerging that naloxone does not reverse, a signal that the drug supply keeps shifting even as one crisis eases.

That is part of why officials describe this project as building capacity for what comes next rather than only responding to what has already happened. The center is expected to open by late spring or early summer 2027.

Finding Medical Detox

Anyone in the Richmond area who is dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids should never attempt to detox from these substances without medical supervision, given the risk of severe or life-threatening withdrawal.

Until Henrico’s new facility opens, residents can search detox.com’s directory to find existing medical detox centers in the area now. Call 800-996-6135(Sponsored) to find a medically supervised detox program near you.