I understand the need for progressive changes in Mental Health Care Systems  in Virginia. I just feel that the changes are all number driven and not people or service driven.  The Mentally Ill persons who will be adversely affected by these changes will change the scope of many families.

The State is closing down many of the institutions that have been providing care to the mentally ill for years. This change will save money, but at what cost.

The steps have been to  push/ integrate  the mentally ill into the community setting. Now that this is happening the state feels it necessary to take the services  that have been successful in keeping them stable in the community..

One of the new criteria is the client must have a recent psychiatric hospital admission or been evaluated by a crisis intervention team to be considered eligible. This sounds great, but 80% of my client base will not meet that criteria. We have been successful in maintaining those clients in crisis with increased one on one interventions. So they are being penalized for not being sent to the hospital.

 An Immediate stop needs to happen to these proposed regulations and allow the state regulators to work with the community of providers ( state,private and public) on making the changes realistic for all involved.

Virginia cant continue to not make good decision regarding mental health care!