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Virginia Gets a D in Mental Health Services

Posted on: Friday, 3 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By ELIZABETH SIMPSON

BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Virginia scored poorly on a state-by-state survey of mental health services but did get a thumbs-up for a proposal to overhaul mental institutions and boost funding to communities.

The report released Wednesday by the National Alliance on Mental Illness gave Virginia a grade of D, which matched the nation's overall mark . No state received an A, and eight states received F's. Virginia ranked in the bottom half of the country - 30th - in per-capita spending on mental health services. But when total dollars spent on mental health services was compared, the state moved up to the 18th spot.

The survey, called "Grading the States: A Report on America's Mental Health Care System for Serious Mental Illness," criticized Virginia for its lack of affordable, quality housing and its low number of psychiatric beds for people in crisis . The state received an F for access to information, and D's in services, recovery support and the mental health system's infrastructure.

"I'm not surprised," said Carolyn Wood, president of the Virginia Beach chapter of NAMI. "Anyone who has a loved one with mental illness who has sought help knows the plight of the mentally ill and that access to treatment is a huge barrier."

The state was lauded on several points, though, one of which was former Gov. Mark Warner's $458 million proposal to overhaul and downsize its mental health institutions and funnel more money to community services. The state also was noted for several "jail diversion" programs - one based in Virginia Beach - in which Community Services Boards work with law enforce ment to keep people with mental illnesses from landing in jails.

The state's mental health commissioner agreed with Wood that there were few surprises in the report but praised NAMI for bringing attention to mental health issues.

"I think it's a professional piece of work, and I applaud NAMI for focusing attention on the needs of this community," said James Reinhard, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services.

He said the report pointed out several areas the state needs to work on, such as access and housing, but said it was heartening to see the state's reinvestment initiative highlighted.

"It supports that endeavor and shows it's the right thing to do at the right time," he said. The initiative, which still needs General Assembly approval, would rebuild and reduce the size of the state's four mental institutions and also funnel about $170 million to community-based mental health services.

The report said the initiative was long overdue, particularly given severe cuts Community Services Boards suffered in 2003 because of the state's budget shortfall.

The alliance, which says the report is the most comprehensive in 15 years, looked at 39 criteria, which were gathered through questionnaires sent to mental health departments and through interviews with people who use mental health services.

The report said the state's mentally disabled wait an average of 42 weeks for supervised residential care, and the state's Community Services Boards had a combined waiting list of 3,000 in 2004.

The five states that received the best grade in the survey - B - were Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The failing states were Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Seventeen states received C's, and 19 states, including Virginia, received D's.

Wood said that the need for mental health services is critical, but that many Virginians aren't aware of the gaps. "It's not something most people find out about until they're in crisis."

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Reach Elizabeth Simpson at (757) 446-2635 or elizabeth.simpson @pilotonline.com.

Source: Virginian - Pilot

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