RICHMOND, Va. -- As lawmakers from across the Commonwealth make their way back to Richmond for the start of the General Assembly Session, one freshman lawmaker has his eyes set on an effort to reform mental health services across the state.
Del. Michael Jones (D - Richmond) thinks the state should increase the amount of designated forensic beds at Central State Hospital allocated for Central Virginians.
Those are beds specifically for people in custody or court-ordered who need mental health assistance.
Jones shared that the need for behavioral health and mental health help has increased for adults and children since the pandemic.
“How do we come up with a way to provide more therapeutic care and forensic beds so they can get the help they need and so our law enforcement officers aren’t handling someone they are not equipped to deal with?" Jones asked.
State documents showed there are currently fewer than 300 beds total at the facility.
Officials said those beds are consistently filled.
It’s a problem that led Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard to share his concerns with Jones.
The low bed count affects Leonard's officers directly, he said.
According to Leonard, anyone who is served a TDO or temporary detention order needs a bed at Central State.
He said per law, two deputies must be taken off a shift to sit with that person until a bed is found.
“We held a juvenile for 96 hours and in 96 hours could not find a bed to place her in. We had to release her without getting her the treatment she so desperately needed. That’s a lot of resources there that I am losing, but the bigger picture is the person in crisis, the person with the serious mental illness is not getting the help they need simply because we can’t find them a bed," he said.
Jones heard those concerns from Leonard.
He said that the deaths of two Virginia men, Marcus Davis Peters and Irvo Otieno, who died during a mental health crisis, prompted the push for this legislation.
"If someone is going through a mental health crisis death should not be an option," Jones said.
Both Jones and Leonard believe it will take passed legislation to increase funding and incentives to staff hospitals and help support the increase in beds.
The bill will still need to clear several hurdles and will be first taken up by the House Committee of Health and Human Services.
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