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Governor establishes Center for Behavioral Health and Justice

Inter-agency collaboration to improve mental health services and crisis response

Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed Executive Directive Four Monday, implementing a new collaboration between health, safety and justice officials and establishing the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice.

The establishment of the center stems from the 25 recommendations provided in October 2014 by the Governor’s Task Force for Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response.

The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice is an inter-agency collaboration that seeks to coordinate data collection and analysis, evidence-based programs and practices, education, outreach, training, technical assistance and resource development.

“Nearly a year ago, I asked this Task Force to continue its work and develop bold ideas to help the Commonwealth address the gaps in our behavioral health system,” McAuliffe said in a press release.

McAuliffe was prompted to re-establish the task-force originally created by former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell when he saw a gap in Virginia policy. In April 2014, McAuliffe signed Executive Order 12, and the newly formed group now consists of leading Virginian officials in the health and justice system.

One such official is University medical representative Scott Syverud, who works as an emergency physician at the University hospital and often sees patients who are prisoners. He emphasized the seriousness of this issue, and the need for action towards a better approach.

“I’m a doctor — if you asked me what disease I would want to have, my last choice would be major mental illness,” Syverud said. “It is so devastating. Especially if it’s not treated.”

Dr. Bill Hazel, secretary of Health and Human Resources and task force member, also stressed the need to better address the duality of mental health and law enforcement.

“Too often, when mental illness and law enforcement are mentioned in the same breath, it is in the context of a tragic situation," Hazel said in a press release. "Establishment of this Center for Behavioral Health and Justice shows a formal commitment to change that perception and to change outcomes for Virginians.”

The objective of the Center for Health and Social Justice will better coordinate all parties involved in situations involving mental health. However, Carolyn Engelhard, director of the University Health Policy Program in the Department of Public Health Sciences, said while coordinating services will be helpful, more needs to be done.

“Each step of the way requires intervention” Engelhard said. “[The Center] a good thing, but unless and until they appropriate more funding for curing mental illness in the community, I don't see how it’s going to be that helpful.”

Those who suffer from mental illness, especially those in the criminal justice system, require continuous attention, from the moment they encounter a law officer to the months after they are released from prison. The resources for extensive training and medical attention for each agency a patient might encounter are in short supply, a problem the Center hopes to ameliorate.

Engelhard said that funding for the mental health system often fluctuates based on newsworthy events concerning mental health, as well as economic standing.

“One area we don’t take money away from is the justice system,” Engelhard said. “Because it’s not a health issue, its a safety issue.”

The relationship between mental illness and criminal justice is a familiar topic for many Virginia residents. According to a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a survey from 2007 showed 18.5 percent of Virginia jail inmates suffer from mental illness. The same survey showed 90 percent of inmates were screened for mental health issues, but only 45 percent of those with positive results received follow up assessments.

“We’ll know that were getting somewhere when there are pink ribbons and there is a marathon run for mental illness,” Syverud said.

“It raises the awareness of the problem, and that’s the first step,” Engelhard said.

Public Safety and Health Officials will continue to work towards a better system. The directive requires an implementation plan for the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice by July 1, 2015.

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