Marcus-David Peters was a young, Black biology teacher who was shot and killed in Richmond, Virginia by police during a mental health crisis. The Marcus-David Peters Act was signed into law following the 2020 Special Session of the General Assembly. The Act in its entirety includes the build-out of a comprehensive, statewide behavioral health response system, as well as a series of local protocols and supports to coordinate law enforcement, 9-1-1, and the comprehensive crisis system. Elements of the comprehensive crisis system are explained below in more detail. This report provides an overview of the planning process thus far and progress made towards the measurement of each indicator required in the act. The summary of the state plan for implementation, including details of the planning process of the Marcus-David Peters Act, can be found here: State Plan for the Implementation of the Marcus-David Peters Act.

Implementation of the Marcus-David Peters Act has successfully followed the original schedule, with the first five sites launched December 1, 2021 and an additional five Marcus Alert programs beginning on July 1, 2023. The availability of crisis services has grown tremendously since the passing of this legislation. Not only is the 9-8-8 service available across the Commonwealth, but Virginia has maintained an average 92% in-state answer rate by the two regional crisis call centers answering Virginia calls. All ten Marcus Alert sites have worked closely with their regional crisis call centers to implement protocols for Marcus Alert. The 9-1-1 Centers/Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have incorporated Marcus Alert data collections elements within their Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems to capture metrics related to Marcus Alert instances. DBHDS is working to ensure Virginia continues to meet the deadline of July 1, 2028 to implement Marcus Alert programs statewide in all 40 locally operated community services boards (CSBs) catchment areas. Areas of focus for this reporting period include:

• Regional Implementation – Ten Marcus Alert programs have launched in the five DBHDS regions.

• Launching Additional Five Regional Sites – The next five localities have been identified to launch Marcus Alert programs by July 1, 2023.

• Mobile Crisis Coverage – Statewide coverage by mobile crisis teams (one-hour response) continues to grow and is expected to be robust, statewide, and available 24/7 by July 1, 2024. Importantly, there are ongoing significant workforce challenges in the behavioral health system exacerbated by COVID-19 that will impact the speed at which 24/7 coverage is achieved.

• Local Marcus Alert Programs – Three local Marcus Alert protocols were required by initial areas on December 1, 2021. These three local protocols include: 1) diversion of appropriate 9-1-1 calls to crisis call centers, 2) agreements between mobile crisis regional hubs and law enforcement, and 3) policies for law enforcement participation in the Marcus Alert system. The level of additional local support for community coverage to be achieved statewide will be contingent on the amount of funding available, as well as the local planning processes.

As progress is made on the implementation of Marcus Alert programs across Virginia, DBHDS will continue working with state and local partners to capture more data and expanding reporting capabilities.