KINGSTON, N.Y.— Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger was joined by state and local officials on Wednesday for the official opening of the Ulster County Center for Well-Being, a multi‑service facility that marks a major expansion of community‑based care that will bring together a full continuum of behavioral health, crisis response, youth mental health care, and victim support services under one roof.
In a press release announcing the opening, Metzger said the center represents “a major step forward in how we care for the health of our community.
“For the first time, residents can access a full continuum of behavioral health and wellness services under one roof and receive compassionate care in a supportive environment,” she said.
The first floor of the center, located at 368 Broadway in Kingston, is home to the Ulster County Crisis Support Center, which had a soft opening in January. Operated by People USA in partnership with the Ulster County Department of Mental Health, the center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide immediate, walk‑in support for youth and adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. Services include clinical assessments, peer support, intervention, and coordinated follow‑up care. The center offers a safe, welcoming alternative to emergency room visits and gives law enforcement the ability to divert individuals in crisis to timely, community‑based care, officials have said.
The second floor of the Center for Well-Being will house Access: Supports for Living, a behavioral health urgent care walk-in center which will provide mental health and substance use urgent care for adults and children, including evaluation, counseling, medication management, safety planning, and referrals for longer‑term treatment.
This waiting area for visitors at Access Urgent Care in Kingston, N.Y., on Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Diane Pineiro-Zucker/DailyFreeman)
The Crime Victims Assistance Program, also located on the second floor, will provide confidential, survivor‑centered support for any Ulster County resident who has experienced crime, including crisis counseling, safety planning, assistance navigating reporting options, and connection to resources.
The Children’s Way Counseling Center, which will be operated by the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, will be on the third floor of the Well-Being Center. The counseling center is youth mental health clinic serving ages 5–21, offering psychiatric evaluation, crisis intervention, medication treatment, individual and family therapy, and care coordination to support healthy development and family stability.
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger speaks with a staff member at the Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, opening of the Children’s Way Counseling Center in Kingston, N.Y. (Photo provided by Metzger’s office)
The county Department of Mental Health’s administrative offices and program coordination for Ulster County’s behavioral health system, community programs, prevention initiatives, and regional partnerships will be located on the fourth floor.
“The Ulster County Center for Well-Being joins a growing list of Intensive and Supportive Crisis Stabilization Centers operating around the state and marks the first Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center in the Mid-Hudson Region,” said state Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan, in the release. “These centers help individuals and families avoid visits to often busy hospital emergency rooms, providing high-quality treatment and vital connections to community-based services.”
U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, who helped spearhead the project while county executive, called mental health “vital health care.”
“Especially amid Trump’s devastating health care cuts forcing closures and downsizing across the region, it’s more important than ever that we make investments in our communities’ health,” Ryan, D-Gardiner, stated in the release.
“The Center for Well-Being was an ambitious vision for Ulster County,” said Tara McDonald, commissioner of the Ulster County Department of Mental Health. “The County made a huge investment in both purchasing the building and completing all of the necessary renovations to ensure that we would be providing our residents with a warm, welcoming, inviting safe space to lay down their troubles.”