DBHDS Press Releases

For Immediate Release: December 16, 2010

Governor McDonnell Proposes Funds to Improve Virginia’s Behavioral Health and Developmental Services System

Nearly $30 Million “Down-Payment” Towards Advancing Virginia’s Long-Held Goal of Expanding Services in Community-Based Settings

Richmond – Governor Bob McDonnell announced budget proposals today for Virginia’s behavioral health and developmental services program that will be part of his formal budget amendments announced in full tomorrow, Friday, December 17th. The Governor’s proposals for additional funding for behavioral health and developmental services improvements equal nearly $30 million in general fund dollars.

Speaking about the proposals, Governor McDonnell noted, “While I believe Virginia’s behavioral health and developmental services system has come a long way from one that had been largely institutional to one that is now primarily community-based, we still have important work to do to close the gap. There are still problems in Virginia’s system of behavioral health and developmental services that have remained unaddressed for many years, and involve operational issues at our state facilities and insufficient capacity to serve those in need of community-based services. This additional funding is a “down payment” toward addressing critical concerns and moving Virginia closer to a community-based model of services and supports. The initiatives we are putting forward will enable those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live a more self determined life and support those with mental illness on their journey of recovery.”

Highlights from the Governor’s proposals include:

Expansion of Community-Based Services

$9.8 million for 275 ID/MR Medicaid Waiver slots in FY12 and ongoing to assist in reducing the waiting list for community-based services and providing community alternatives for those living in training centers.
$5 million in to create crisis intervention services across the Commonwealth for individuals with co-occurring intellectual disability and behavioral disorders to help prevent escalation of crisis situations and avoid admission to training centers, psychiatric hospitals or incarceration, and allow individuals to stay safely in their own communities.
$4 million in to expand behavioral health crisis stabilization programs statewide to help reduce hospitalization, divert people from incarceration and achieve better outcomes for people served.
$2.4 million in to increase targeted community behavioral health services in the Tidewater/Eastern State Hospital region, including: Sponsored Placements, Local Inpatient Purchase of Service (LIPOS), Expanded Discharge Assistance Program, and Stabilization and Competency Restoration in Community Hospitals.
$514,641 to add six licensing positions at Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to increase the capacity to monitor community-based providers of services to individuals with behavioral health or developmental disabilities.
$400,000 for five positions at DBHDS to work with residents of the state training centers and their families to plan for transition from the facility to community settings.

Improving Quality of Care in State Facilities

$7.1 million in for Virginia’s five state-operated training centers for individuals with intellectual disabilities to address staffing ratios and ensure the safety of all training center residents by replacing funds that were reduced in the original FY2012 budget.
$200,000 to contract with consultants to provide staff training at state training centers.
$182,000 to establish a statewide medical director and a quality management position in Central Office.

“Governor McDonnell’s proposals reflect his priority to help repair and improve Virginia’s long under-funded public behavioral health and developmental services system,” said Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Commissioner Jim Stewart. “We are committed to working with the Governor and the General Assembly in the days ahead to make the Governor’s proposals a reality.”

More detail of Governor McDonnell's Budget Proposal for DBHDS

###

If you have trouble opening a document, you may need to download one of the above free plug-ins (WinZip is a trial version). For comments or questions about this site, please Email the Webmaster. Thank you for visiting the Commonwealth of Virginia DBHDS Web site. © Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

DBHDS

PROGRAMS & SERVICES

DBHDS Press Releases