Key reforms called for in a 2012 report critical of Virginia’s mental health system finally will be implemented in 2014, officials said in a report drafted after a high-profile case in which the son of a state senator was denied care before stabbing his father and killing himself.
The report was written and rollout dates set after Austin “Gus” Deeds stabbed his father, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, then fatally shot himself, said Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services spokeswoman Meghan McGuire.
One key change makes state psychiatric hospital directors responsible for finding a bed when local community services boards cannot.
Starting in January, if a community services board can’t find a psychiatric bed, the state hospital in that region must take the patient or arrange placement at another facility, according to a document The News Leader obtained Thursday.
The report updated the agency’s progress on a collection of recommendations from a 2012 inspector general’s report on failed temporary detention orders.
