Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse
Encyclopedia
The Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse (DMHMRSAS) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia
. The department operates Virginia's public mental health
, intellectual disability
and substance abuse
services system through a system of 40 locally-run community services boards (CSBs) and 16 state-operated facilities which serve children and adults who have or who are at risk of mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, or substance use disorder
s.
Of the 16 state-run facilities, seven are mental health facilities, five are mental retardation training centers, one is a psychiatric facility for children and adolescents, one is a medical center, one is a psychiatric geriatric
hospital and one is a center for behavioral rehabilitation (SVP). For placement in state facilities, patients are initially evaluated and referred from local CSBs.
Since 2005, DMHMRSAS has been working in earnest with a broad network of stakeholders to transform our system to enhance community-based care for individuals, make overdue infrastructure improvements to our state facilities and to change the way services are delivered. In recent months, we have been further examining our system and working with state and local leadership to determine the services that will be needed in the future.
, filed the week of December 8, 2007, by the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, requests the release of information about alleged abuse
s at two state facilities operated by DMHMRSAS.
Reading from a prepared statement
, on December 7, 2007, Colleen Miller, director of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, expressed concerns about the deaths, saying, "If the allegation
s we have received are true, people with disabilities in state care may be at grave risk of harm and death."
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The department operates Virginia's public mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
, intellectual disability
Intellectual disability
Intellectual disability is a broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including mental retardation , deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions , and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like...
and substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
services system through a system of 40 locally-run community services boards (CSBs) and 16 state-operated facilities which serve children and adults who have or who are at risk of mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, or substance use disorder
Substance use disorder
Substance use disorders include substance abuse and substance dependence. In DSM-IV, the conditions are formally diagnosed as one or the other, but it has been proposed that DSM-5 combine the two into a single condition called "Substance-use disorder"....
s.
Of the 16 state-run facilities, seven are mental health facilities, five are mental retardation training centers, one is a psychiatric facility for children and adolescents, one is a medical center, one is a psychiatric geriatric
Geriatric psychiatry
Geriatric psychiatry, also known as geropsychiatry, psychogeriatrics or psychiatry of old age, is a subspecialty of psychiatry dealing with the study, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders in humans with old age. After a 4 year residency in psychiatry, a psychiatrist can complete a one year...
hospital and one is a center for behavioral rehabilitation (SVP). For placement in state facilities, patients are initially evaluated and referred from local CSBs.
Since 2005, DMHMRSAS has been working in earnest with a broad network of stakeholders to transform our system to enhance community-based care for individuals, make overdue infrastructure improvements to our state facilities and to change the way services are delivered. In recent months, we have been further examining our system and working with state and local leadership to determine the services that will be needed in the future.
Recent Lawsuits
A lawsuitLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, filed the week of December 8, 2007, by the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, requests the release of information about alleged abuse
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
s at two state facilities operated by DMHMRSAS.
Reading from a prepared statement
News release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy...
, on December 7, 2007, Colleen Miller, director of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, expressed concerns about the deaths, saying, "If the allegation
Allegation
An allegation is a claim of a fact by a party in a pleading, which the party claims to be able to prove. Allegations remain assertions without proof, until they can be proved....
s we have received are true, people with disabilities in state care may be at grave risk of harm and death."