Lawmakers reach deal on mental health
March 21, 2014
Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation intended to strengthen care immediately for people in mental health crisis and their families, and also to launch a thorough review of the state’s mental health system. Several of the immediate changes proposed are focused on improving the process by which acute psychiatric beds are identified for people taken into custody for a mental health evaluation. The goal is to eliminate the problem of “streeting,” which has led individuals at risk for suicide to be released from care without sufficient support in place to protect them. For the longer term, a four-year joint subcommittee was created which will include stakeholders from state institutions, mental health agencies, and local law enforcement, and will study many aspects of mental health care in Virginia. The package was approved unanimously by both chambers, but full implementation will depend on the state’s budget process.