Orange County to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Jamezetta Bedford Crisis Care Center Oct. 22

Orange County will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jamezetta Bedford Crisis Care Center on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. The ceremony will take place on Waterstone Drive in Hillsborough. The site is next to the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus. The event will mark the next major step in advancing a community‑based system of care for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted earlier this year to name the new facility in honor of the late Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, who passed away unexpectedly on June 21, 2026. Bedford served eight years as a county commissioner, including a three-year term as board chair, and was a steadfast champion for behavioral health services, children, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and vulnerable residents.

Commissioner Bedford played an essential leadership role in developing the Crisis Care Center. As an original member of the Crisis Diversion Facility Subcommittee, she pushed for a more compassionate, community‑based response for residents in crisis—one that reduced reliance on emergency departments and the criminal justice system and instead offered timely, therapeutic support.

“This center represents the kind of compassionate, community‑focused care our residents deserve,” Board Chair Jean Hamilton said. “Every person who walks through these doors should be met with dignity, understanding, and hope. That has always been our charge, and it will remain Commissioner Bedford’s legacy.”

County Manager Travis Myren emphasized the lasting significance of the project.
 “This facility reflects our community’s commitment to ensuring that people in crisis have access to timely and appropriate support. Commissioner Bedford’s leadership and passion helped make this vision possible, and we are honored to carry that work forward.”

About the Jamezetta Bedford Crisis Care Center

The Crisis Care Center will provide a safe, therapeutic, supportive environment for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises and serve as a key component of Orange County’s broader behavioral health infrastructure.

The facility will reduce pressure on hospitals, the detention center, first responders, and other community response systems. The Center will include both a 24/7, walk-in behavioral health urgent care unit serving individuals ages 4 years and older and a 16-bed facility-based crisis unit to serve adults 18 and older in need of longer stabilization. In addition, the Center will provide integrated services discharge planning, house a peer-living room and feature a community behavioral health resource library.

The total project budget for the 21,146-square-foot facility, including land acquisition, design, professional services, and construction, is $29,412,035.

The crisis diversion facility has been in development since 2019 as part of Orange County’s commitment to improving access to behavioral health crisis services. The project advanced with the selection of architecture firm CPL in 2024 and Gilbane Construction Company as construction manager-at-risk in 2025.

Construction completion is anticipated in winter 2027 and operations are expected to start in spring 2028.

Project Timeline

For more information visit orangecountync.gov/CrisisCare.

Parking and Shuttle Information
 
 Attendees are encouraged to carpool due to limited parking availability at the ceremony site on Waterstone Drive (next to UNC Hospitals).

Additional parking and shuttle service will be provided at Durham Technical Community College’s Orange County Campus, located at 525 College Park Road, Hillsborough, NC. (Park-and-Ride lot)

A shuttle will be available at the campus beginning at 9 a.m. to transport attendees to the groundbreaking site.

For questions or more information, contact Orange County Community Relations at 919-245-2302 or wglenn@orangecountync.gov.

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