Advocates say the fix for Virginia’s broken mental health care system isn’t necessarily more beds


Mapping mental health care: Governor McDonnell’s proposed budget expansion includes millions over the course of two years for two highly regarded community-based mental health care programs: Crisis Intervention Teams, which consist of police officers trained to defuse mental health crises and steer patients to the care they need, and Program of Assertive Community Treatment, or PACTs, outpatient care networks designed to keep the severely mentally ill out of hospitals.

Large swaths of Virginia lack access to either program, but the Charlottesville area is among the regions in Virginia with both—and advocates say building up such programs is the best way to keep people healthy and help them avoid costly, restrictive hospital stays.

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