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A long-awaited treatment center for teenagers facing addiction and mental health challenges will begin accepting patients from across Northern Virginia on Tuesday, March 24.

Fairfax County officials, community advocates and Acadia Healthcare employees marked the opening of the Northern Virginia Adolescent Treatment Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Chantilly. The 16-bedroom facility at 4211 Walney Road sits near a county-operated detox center for adults.

The center will initially provide residential rehabilitation and medically managed detox services for patients ages 12 to 17. It will treat addictions involving substances ranging from alcohol to psychedelics, along with co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Additional programs are expected as the center secures the necessary licenses.

Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said Northern Virginia families have struggled for years to find suitable treatment close to home as youth overdoses increased.

“Too often, young people have had to travel far from home just to receive the services they desperately need,” Smith said. “We knew we could do better for our community, and today, we are proving that we can.”

Fairfax County’s latest Youth Survey found that alcohol was the substance most commonly used by both sixth-grade and high-school-age students. More than 10% of high school seniors reported either having tried marijuana during their lifetime or drinking alcohol in the month before the survey.

The results also showed encouraging trends, including generally lower drinking rates among county teenagers, improving mental health indicators and an overall decline in substance use.

Fairfax County awarded Northern Virginia Behavioral Health LLC, an affiliate of Tennessee-based Acadia Healthcare, a $4.5 million contract in April 2025 to operate the center during its first year. The county plans to provide $3.8 million annually in later years.

Acadia’s agreement runs through March 31, 2030, and includes an option for a five-year renewal.

The opening follows years of advocacy by community organizations. The faith-based group VOICE worked with NAMI Virginia, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and others to research possible solutions and bring proposals to elected officials.

The Rev. Rebecca Messman, senior pastor at Burke Presbyterian Church, said advocates repeatedly heard about young people dying by suicide or overdose and families unable to secure adequate care. Some parents took their children to emergency rooms, while others encountered long delays when seeking therapy.

Messman said the new center could demonstrate the value of accessible treatment and spur efforts to create more options for families.

“I think once this center opens, people can see it, and they can figure out how much it saves, how many lives it saves,” she said. “It’s a catalyst.”