Mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services are provided in Virginia through a network of community services boards and state-operated facilities, hospitals and training centers. Increasingly, the emphasis is shifting from an institutional to a community focus, in terms of numbers of clients served, units of services delivered, allocation of resources, and responsibility for indentifying, monitoring, and tracking clients.
Overview of DMHMRSAS
The Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services is one of sixteen Human Resources agencies within the Executive Branch of State Government. The Department's mission is to ensure and provide a comprehensive system of services that is responsive to the mental health, mental retardation, drug and alcohol abuse needs of the citizens of Virginia. This system includes prevention, early intervention, emergency, residential, outpatient/day support, and inpatient/training services which are made available through the planned coordination of the programs of 16 state facilities and 40 community services boards.
Role of the State Facilities
State facilities, state hospitals and training centers, provide highly-structured, intensive inpatient services for mentally ill, mentally retarded, and substance abuse clients of CSB service areas. The evolutionary movement toward a single, integrated system of care, an increased emphasis on communication, and the necessity of more effective and efficient use of state facilities have together defined the role of state institutions as one group of resources on a continuum of services available to clients and patients. As Community Services Boards assume full responsibility for the coordination of all services to clients, the development and maintenance of strong working relationships between the CSBs and state facilities becomes critically important. Performance contracting, with both Boards and institutions, which includes bed utilization monitoring, anticipates and requires joint planning among CSBs and facilities for budgetary and service delivery activities.
Role of the Community Services Boards
Community Services Boards (CSBs) are the local governmental agencies which are responsible for delivering mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services. Boards were established to provide these services in the most accessible, responsive and least restrictive setting possible, drawing upon all available community resources and the clients' natural support systems (families, friends, work, etc.). In order to accomplish this goal, CSBs must function not only as service providers, but also as client advocates; community educators, organizers and planners; and as advisors to their local governments. Boards are also responsible for coordinating their clients' access to and use of state facility services through such mechanisms as a pre-admission screening, case and client management, and predischarge planning. Thus, Community Services Boards are the primary focus of fiscal and programmatic activity and accountability in the Commonwealth's mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse service delivery system.
Back to the Vission and Mission
For Comments or Questions Concerning this Web Site, contact the Webmaster.
Northern Virginia Training Center © Commonwealth of Virginia 2007