What Highlands Community Services (HCS) does

Highlands Community Services (HCS) is a Virginia Community Service Board (CSB) headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, that delivers a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health, substance use, and developmental disability services to residents of Washington County and the City of Bristol. Organized around six service categories — Crisis Services, Adult Recovery Services, Children and Family Services, Developmental Services, Outpatient Services, and Psychiatric Services — the organization operates 24/7 crisis infrastructure including a 12-bed residential crisis stabilization unit (Highlands Harbor), a 23-hour observation program (The Anchor), a Mobile Crisis team, and a crisis support hotline. Specialized programs include Permanent Supportive Housing using the Housing First model, Stepping Stones psychosocial rehabilitation, the Children's Advocacy Center, Foster Care, Project Jane domestic violence services, and the Washington County Recovery Court (DREAM Court) program, along with school-based counselors embedded in Washington County and Bristol schools.

HCS delivers services through facility-based programs at multiple Abingdon locations (610 Campus Drive headquarters and 414 Ivy Street crisis site), telehealth, mobile outreach, and school-based sites, using electronic health records to support clinical operations. As a public CSB established under Virginia law, HCS is funded primarily through state allocations from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), supplemented by fee-for-service revenue, Medicaid, and grants, with services provided based on clinical need and eligibility rather than commercial pricing. The organization employs between 251 and 500 staff and has operated for over fifty years, most recently completing a major crisis services expansion in 2022 and receiving $1,750,000 in DBHDS funding in October 2024.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with Rebecca Holmes serving as Executive Director since May 2019 and Shelia Tuggle as Chief Financial Officer since September 2020. Strategic partnerships include a clinical placement relationship with Virginia Highlands Community College's Nursing Program and operational coordination with Johnston Memorial Hospital, local schools, the Abingdon Regional Jail, and the Washington County court system. HCS has no parent company, no commercial investors, and is not publicly traded; it operates as a public nonprofit entity serving a defined regional catchment in Southwest Virginia.

Name

Highlands Community Services (HCS)

Legal name

Highlands Community Services

Website

https://highlandscsb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Highlands Community Services is a Virginia Community Service Board providing mental health, substance use, developmental, crisis, and housing services to residents of Washington County and Bristol, Virginia, funded primarily through state behavioral health allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Community mental health services
• Behavioral health services
• Substance abuse treatment
• Developmental disability services
• Crisis intervention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government/Public Funding: As a Virginia Community Service Board (CSB), HCS receives state funding through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to provide mental health, substance abuse, and developmental services to residents of Washington County and Bristol, VA.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Highlands Community Services is the designated Virginia Community Service Board (CSB) for Washington County and Bristol, VA, providing a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health, substance abuse, and developmental disability services. Its offerings span 24/7 crisis stabilization, residential crisis units, outpatient mental health and substance use treatment, permanent supportive housing, psychosocial rehabilitation, school-based services, foster care, children's advocacy, developmental disability support, and psychiatric medication management. Services are delivered through facility-based programs, telehealth, mobile crisis response, and community outreach across Southwest Virginia.

Product overview

Highlands Community Services (HCS) is a multi-faceted Virginia Community Service Board providing mental health, substance use, and developmental services to residents of Washington County and Bristol, Virginia. The organization operates as a unified service provider offering a comprehensive continuum of care organized into six main service categories: Crisis Services (including 24/7 Highlands Harbor crisis stabilization and The Anchor 23-hour observation program), Adult Recovery Services (Adult Case Management, Permanent Supportive Housing, Stepping Stones psychosocial rehabilitation), Children & Family Services (outpatient therapy, school-based programs, foster care, children's advocacy), Developmental Services (support coordination, sponsor homes, day programs), Outpatient Services (substance abuse treatment, EMDR therapy, domestic violence services, recovery court), and Psychiatric Services. Services are delivered through facility-based programs, telehealth, mobile crisis response, and school-based interventions across Southwest Virginia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Services

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) Nursing ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2012Strategic partnership between HCS Stepping Stones Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center and VHCC Nursing Program, providing clinical learning opportunities for nursing students while supporting HCS program operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New River Valley Community Services: Virginia Community Services Board serving the New River Valley region with a comparable multi-program behavioral health, substance use, and developmental disability continuum. Operates under the same CSB regulatory framework and DBHDS funding model as HCS, making it the closest operational and structural peer.
• Mount Rogers Community Services Board: Adjacent Virginia CSB serving Smyth, Wythe, Bland, Carroll, and Grayson counties with overlapping service categories (mental health, substance use, ID/DD, crisis services). Directly comparable in mandate, funding structure, and rural Southwest Virginia footprint.
• Piedmont Community Services: Virginia CSB serving the Martinsville/Henry County and Franklin/Patrick County area with behavioral health, ID/DD, and crisis services. Same regulatory designation and DBHDS funding model; rural/small-mountain region comparable to HCS's catchment.
• Horizon Behavioral Health: Virginia CSB serving Lynchburg and the surrounding region with mental health, substance use, ID/DD, and crisis stabilization programs. Comparable multi-site public CSB operating crisis residential and outpatient services under the same DBHDS framework.
• Western Tidewater Community Services Board: Virginia CSB providing mental health, substance use, ID/DD, and crisis services in the Western Tidewater region. Operates an integrated continuum under the same state CSB framework as HCS.
• Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services: Larger Virginia CSB serving Henrico County with the same statutory mandate as HCS for mental health, substance use, and developmental services. Useful as a scaled peer demonstrating what a CSB operating model looks like at larger budget levels.
• Rappahannock Area Community Services Board: Virginia CSB serving Planning District 16 with mental health, substance use, ID/DD, and emergency services. Same legal/regulatory framework, same multi-program service model, comparable regional scale.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Health Services (Behavioral Health Division): Large publicly traded behavioral health provider operating acute psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment, and outpatient services nationally, including in Virginia. Overlaps with HCS in crisis stabilization and inpatient/residential behavioral health but operates on a for-profit, commercial scale.
• Acadia Healthcare: Major publicly traded behavioral health operator running inpatient psychiatric facilities and residential treatment programs across the U.S. Comparable in residential crisis stabilization and substance use treatment delivery, though at national scale and on a commercial reimbursement basis.

Others

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): National mental health advocacy and support organization that overlaps thematically with HCS's mission and frequently partners with CSBs on community education, peer support, and family services in the same behavioral health ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highlandscsb
• Facebookfacebook.com/highlandscsb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highlands Community Services (HCS)