Bill Text: VA HR401 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-23 - Bill text as passed House (HR401ER) [HR401 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HR401-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services, an agency dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock through comprehensive behavioral health, developmental disability, substance use disorder, housing, and aging services, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022; and
WHEREAS, the Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services Board was established in 1972 by the local governments of Planning District 9, including the Counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock; and
WHEREAS, from the beginning, what is now Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services (RRCS) combined the responsibilities of an area agency on aging and a community services board, creating a unique, multifaceted organization that remains the only one of its kind in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, under the aegis of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and Virginia Housing, RRCS implements more than 80 programs with a staff of more than 400 employees, making it the largest agency in its service area; and
WHEREAS, the marquee programs of RRCS include the Boxwood Recovery Center, an in-patient treatment center in Culpeper for individuals with substance use disorders; its Area Agency on Aging senior centers in each of the five counties it serves; and its Support, Encourage, Empower (S.E.E.) Recovery Center in Culpeper, where essential resources for mental health wellness are made readily available to the public; and
WHEREAS, RRCS supports individuals of all ages and backgrounds, from its infant-toddler connection program, which helps to ensure the youngest members of the community meet their developmental milestones, to its Senior Cool Care program and meal delivery services designed for the benefit and comfort of senior citizens in the area; and
WHEREAS, RRCS provides a vital safety net for individuals and families in need through various programs and services, including group homes for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, affordable housing for low-income seniors, and outpatient rapid access services for those suffering from mental health or substance use disorders; and
WHEREAS, from assisting with Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, to supporting a crisis services hotline, to embedding mental health professionals within local law-enforcement agencies, to organizing peer support programs, RRCS deploys a plethora of strategies to protect the most vulnerable in society, helping to make the region it serves a healthier and more accommodating place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services hereby be commended on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James LaGraffe, executive director of Rappahannock–Rapidan Community Services, as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's history of contributions to the Commonwealth.
