Virginia’s Mental Health System

Thank you for visiting my website to learn about what initiatives we are working on to improve Virginia’s mental health system. The Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Twenty-First Century created by the resolution I carried this year has begun its work.

If you have a story, recommendations, or would like to get involved, please get in touch with my office at [email protected] and copy your elected officials on the message if you do not reside in the 25th Senate District.

EMERGENCY

If this is an emergency, and you are worried about your safety or the safety of a loved one, please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. To gain a better understanding of Virginia’s mental health system and how to advocate for a loved one, read here.

The Community Services Boards serving residents of the 25th Senate District are:

Alleghany Highlands CSB (Alleghany and Covington)
Region 10 (Albemarle, Nelson, and Charlottesville)
Rockbridge Area Community Services (Bath, Rockbridge, Buena Vista and Lexington)
Valley Community Services Board (Highland)
If you do not reside in the 25th District, you can find contact information for your locality’s Community Services Board here.

Other Resources

Major Accomplishments in Richmond This Week!

The General Assembly returned to Richmond on April 3 for our 2019 reconvened session to consider gubernatorial vetoes and amendments. The governor has 30 days from the adjournment of the regular session to sign, veto, or offer amendments to legislation. The authority of Virginia’s governor to amend legislation is atypical compared to the president and many other governors. This power provides an opportunity to impact policy in a significant way.

This year’s session was unique in many ways. The areas of controversy surrounding all three statewide office holders were huge concerns that put a chill over the session. For legislators, the political melee was painful and upsetting, but we had to focus on our work and avoid the frenzy. Governor Northam seemed to disappear into his work and avoid the public for the remaining weeks of session and some weeks thereafter. The end product of this focused work yielded a number of significant amendments for the General Assembly to consider this week.

Typically reconvened sessions are not devoid of controversy. Governors’ amendments or vetoes are often on contentious matters. However this year, Governor Northam sought to address policy concerns on which the General Assembly failed to act. For that reason, the 2019 reconvened session was one of the most, and perhaps the most, significant reconvened sessions that I have witnessed. There were at least three substantial achievements this week.

For years I have focused on reforming our mental health system and have traveled throughout the Commonwealth to visit local community services boards, our state psychiatric hospitals, and some nonprofit and private entities in the field. During this journey I have become fairly well acquainted with what Virginia offers to people in need of mental health services, and I know we must do a better job responding to people in need no matter where they live in the Commonwealth. [Read More…]

Summer Update

August 23, 2018 By Creigh Deeds

The 2019 legislative session is just around the corner, which is hard to believe since it feels like the 2018 Session just ended. In fact, the General Assembly has yet to adjourn the special session. A couple of issues remain unresolved.

The Governor initially called for a special session because the General Assembly did not reach a budget agreement. After months of wrangling, the legislature adopted a budget on May 30 that included Medicaid expansion. It was a huge bipartisan accomplishment. Nevertheless, the Senate and House of Delegates did not adjourn sine die because the party in the majority has not agreed on the selection of certain judges. Periodically I’ve heard rumors that the General Assembly will be called back to Richmond for a vote, but those rumors have thus far proven to be untrue. In the meantime, another critical issue has arisen. [Read More…]

EMERGENCY

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