Virginia’s public behavioral health and developmental services system provides services to individuals with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance use disorders through state-operated state hospitals and centers, and 39 community services boards and one behavioral health authority, hereafter referred to as CSBs.

CSBs function as the single points of entry into publicly funded behavioral health and developmental services, including access to state facility services through preadmission screening, case management and coordination of services, and discharge planning for individuals leaving state facilities. While not part of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), locally-operated CSBs are key partners. CSBs provide services directly and through contracts with private providers, which are vital to delivering behavioral health and developmental services. Virginia’s 133 cities or counties established CSBs pursuant to Chapter 5 or 6 of Title 37.2 of the Code of Virginia. DBHDS negotiates a performance contract with each CSB for the provision of services, provides state funds, monitors, licenses, regulates, and provides leadership, guidance, and direction to CSBs.

DBHDS operates 12 state hospitals and centers, as follows:

• State Hospitals – DBHDS operates eight state hospitals for adults: Catawba Hospital (CH) in Salem, Central State Hospital (CSH) in Petersburg, Eastern State Hospital (ESH) in Williamsburg, Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) in Falls Church, Piedmont Geriatric Hospital (PGH) in Burkeville, Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute (SVMHI) in Danville, Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute (SWVMHI) in Marion, and Western State Hospital (WSH) in Staunton. The Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents (CCCA) in Staunton is the only state hospital for children with serious emotional disturbance. State hospitals provide highly structured and intensive inpatient services, including psychiatric, nursing, psychological, psychosocial rehabilitation, support, and specialized programs for older adults, children and adolescents, and individuals with a forensic status.

• State Centers – DBHDS provides rehabilitation services at the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation (VCBR) in Burkeville for persons determined to be sexually violent predators. DBHDS provides medical services at the Hiram Davis Medical Center (HDMC) in Petersburg for individuals in state hospitals or other centers. Training centers provide highly structured habilitation services, including residential care and training in areas such as language, self-care, socialization, and motor development. Use of training centers has been declining for many years; this trend and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Settlement Agreement led to the decision in 2012 to close four Virginia training centers by 2020. This decision was accomplished in April 2020 when the last Central Virginia Training Center (CVTC) resident discharged to a new home. DBHDS previously closed Southwestern Virginia Training Center (SWVTC), Southside Virginia Training Center (SVTC), and Northern Virginia Training Center (NVTC). DBHDS will continue to operate Southeastern Virginia Training Center (SEVTC) in Chesapeake.

The DBHDS central office provides leadership that promotes partnerships among CSBs and state hospitals and centers with other agencies and providers. The central office supports the provision of accessible and effective services and supports by CSBs and other providers, directs the delivery of services in state hospitals and centers, protects the human rights of individuals receiving services, and assures that public and private providers adhere to licensing regulations.

In FY 2020, a total of 215,047 unduplicated individuals received services in the public behavioral health and developmental services system: 214,066 received services from CSBs, 7,870 received services in state hospitals and centers, and many received services from both.

The following report provides detailed information on people who received services throughout FY 2020 from CSBs or from state hospitals or centers. The report includes services capabilities, amounts of services and staffing capabilities of CSBs and state hospitals and centers, as well as information on funds received and expenditures by CSBs and DBHDS. Finally, the report provides new major initiatives and key accomplishments at DBHDS during FY 2020.