Virginia Code 37.2-500: Purpose; community services board; services to be provided
A. The Department, for the purposes of establishing, maintaining, and promoting the development of mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services in the Commonwealth, may provide funds to assist any city or county or any combinations of cities or counties or cities and counties in the provision of these services. Every city or county shall establish a community services board by itself or in any combination with other cities and counties, unless it establishes a behavioral health authority pursuant to Chapter 6 (§ 37.2-600 et seq.). In order to provide comprehensive mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services within a continuum of care, the community services board shall function as the single point of entry into publicly funded mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 37.2-500
- Abuse: means any act or failure to act by an employee or other person responsible for the care of an individual in a facility or program operated, licensed, or funded by the Department, excluding those operated by the Department of Corrections, that was performed or was failed to be performed knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally, and that caused or might have caused physical or psychological harm, injury, or death to an individual receiving care or treatment for mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance abuse. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- authority: means a public body and a body corporate and politic organized in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 6 (§ Virginia Code 37.2-100
- Behavioral health services: means the full range of mental health and substance abuse services. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- Board: means the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
- Community services board: means the public body established pursuant to § Virginia Code 37.2-100
- Department: means the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- individual: means a current direct recipient of public or private mental health, developmental, or substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation, or habilitation services and includes the terms "consumer" "patient" "resident" "recipient" or "client. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- Mental illness: means a disorder of thought, mood, emotion, perception, or orientation that significantly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to address basic life necessities and requires care and treatment for the health, safety, or recovery of the individual or for the safety of others. See Virginia Code 37.2-100
- Substance abuse: means the use of drugs, enumerated in the Virginia Drug Control Act (§ Virginia Code 37.2-100
B. The core of services provided by community services boards within the cities and counties that they serve shall include:
1. Emergency services;
2. Same-day mental health screening services;
3. Outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services for physical health indicators and health risks and follow-up services for individuals identified as being in need of assistance with overcoming barriers to accessing primary health services, including developing linkages to primary health care providers; and
4. Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for them, case management services.
C. Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for them, the core of services may include a comprehensive system of inpatient, outpatient, day support, residential, prevention, early intervention, and other appropriate mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services necessary to provide individualized services and supports to persons with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance abuse. Community services boards may establish crisis stabilization units that provide residential crisis stabilization services.
D. The purpose of behavioral health services provided by community services boards shall be to enable individuals who have a mental illness or substance use disorder that significantly impairs their functioning to access effective, timely, and cost-efficient services that help them (i) overcome or manage functional impairments caused by the mental illness or substance use disorder and (ii) remain in the community to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the individual‘s well-being and public safety.
E. Every city or county or any combination of cities and counties that has established a community services board, in consultation with that board, shall designate it as an operating community services board, an administrative policy community services board, or a local government department with a policy-advisory community services board. The governing body of each city or county that established the community services board may change this designation at any time by ordinance. In the case of a community services board established by more than one city or county, the decision to change this designation shall be the unanimous decision of all governing bodies.
F. A community services board may enter into contracts with private providers to ensure the delivery of services pursuant to this article.
1968, c. 477, § 37.1-194; 1972, c. 498; 1974, c. 404; 1975, c. 200; 1976, cc. 41, 671; 1977, c. 90; 1980, c. 582; 1982, c. 295; 1984, c. 653; 1998, c. 680; 2002, cc. 51, 278; 2005, c. 716; 2010, c. 28; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2017, cc. 458, 607, 683; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 213; 2023, c. 484.