Virginia’s Mental Health System Stretched to Limit

December 10, 2013
Community Services Board (CSB), state-mandated agencies that provide public mental health services throughout the state of Virginia, are experiencing an unyielding shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds. Within the last fiscal year, Northern Virginia CSBs had to send 224 patients to other parts of the state because there were no available inpatient beds in the area. In some cases, some hospitals are not willing or able to take certain types of patients, including involuntary commitments or people with serious behavior issues. Anne Edgerton, executive director of the advocacy organization Mental Health America of Virginia, said Virginians should focus on programs and services aimed at getting people mental health care early, before the behavior turns toward crisis mode. Read more.