During the 2020 Special Session I of the General Assembly, the Marcus-David Peters Act was written to support development of an interconnected statewide framework for behavioral health crisis response. 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 between law enforcement, 9-1-1, and the comprehensive crisis system. This report provides an overview of the implementation 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.(*1)

Implementation of the Marcus-David Peters Act began with the first five sites launching on December 1, 2021. This continues to increase annually with 12 Marcus Alert programs implementing on July 1, 2024, and ten new programs implementing July 1, 2026. The availability of crisis services has grown tremendously since the passing of the legislation. All Marcus Alert sites have worked closely with their 988 Contact Centers and Regional Crisis Hubs to implement protocols for Marcus Alert. The 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. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) has also incorporated data collection from Community Care Teams beginning April 1, 2025. DBHDS is working to meet the statewide implementation of all 40 Marcus Alert programs by July 1, 2028, as required. At this time, funds have been allocated to continue to fund the currently active seventeen sites (Figure 1). Additionally, ten community services boards (CSBs) have entered into their planning year as of July 1, 2025, and will be active Marcus Alert sites FY 2026.

Areas of focus for this reporting period include:

• Regional Implementation – 17 Marcus Alert programs have launched in DBHDS’ five regions.

• Launching Additional Regional Sites – DBHDS has begun discussions with the eleven sites identified as FY26 planning sites. These CSBs and their local partners are actively planning their program structures.

• 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 988 Contact Centers, 2) agreements between Regional Crisis Hubs and law enforcement, and 3) policies for law enforcement participation in the Marcus Alert system. The level of additional local supports for community coverage to be achieved statewide will be contingent on the level of funding available and the local planning processes.

• Virginia’s Comprehensive Crisis System – Marcus Alert is one aspect of the ongoing infrastructure development known as Virginia’s Comprehensive Crisis System. This transformation began during the 2020 session and continued to be supported by Governor Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now initiative. The purpose is to improve how individuals who are experiencing behavioral health crises receive services by providing someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Marcus Alert connects these structural changes.

• Progress Toward Measurement – DBHDS continues to enhance the operating systems of Marcus Alert. Data collection has been incorporated in Virginia’s Crisis Connect (VCC) platform in addition to the data collected by PSAPs and Community Care Teams. The incorporation of other functions, such as dispatching Mobile Crisis Response, state hospital tracking capabilities, and community resource dictionaries, was also launched in VCC. DBHDS and the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) continue to utilize statewide stakeholder meetings and site visits with the implemented areas as sources of measurement.

• Addressing Barriers and Recommendations for Improvement – DBHDS continues to coordinate with the areas who have already implemented Marcus Alert to inquire about barriers and collaborate on recommendations. This information is used to improve state lead implementation, policies, and procedures. As progress is made on implementation of Marcus Alert programs across Virginia, DBHDS will continue working with state and local partners to capture more data and expand reporting capabilities.
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(*1) https://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/assets/doc/hr/Health-Equity/mdpa/final-state-plan_july-1-2021_ma.pdf