Polling shows support for investing in mental health
Respondents support the amount of $$$ Youngkin proposed for mental health investments.
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Brown announces run for House of Delegates
The former Director of Virginia’s Department of Health Professions David Brown, who is also a former mayor of Charlottesville, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the House of delegates in HD-54. There are currently three other candidates in this open district that should be an easy win for Democrats, according to VPAP.
No Republicans have declared their candidacy in this district.
Brown was mayor of Charlottesville from 2004-2008. “During my time leading City Council, we worked effectively with Albemarle County to move forward with the John Warner Parkway and trails, and the Ragged Mountain Dam expansion” he said. “I take particular pride in the commitment we made to the Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center, as well as approving the Rugby Road/Venable Neighborhood Historic District, and very importantly signing the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.”
In 2014, Dr. Brown was appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to be the director of the Department of Health Professions, which issues over 500,000 licenses to health professionals through its 13 licensing boards. He was reappointed to the position in 2018 by Gov. Ralph Northam, and served until November 2022 under Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
New polling shows strong support for mental health investment in Virginia
This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy from January 18 through January 21. A total of 625 registered Virginia voters statewide were interviewed live by telephone. Those interviewed were randomly selected from a phone-matched Virginia voter registration list that included both landline and cell phone numbers. The margin of error is 4 percent.
In December, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin presented his “Right Help, Right Now” plan, a package of budget amendments totaling $230 million in new behavioral health system investments over three years.
83 percent of respondents support the concept of a state budget proposal to invest $230 million in new funding to strengthen Virginia’s behavioral health care system.
support for these investments is strong across demographic groups including gender (86 percent support among women, 82 percent among men), partisan identification (96 percent support among Democrats, 79 percent among Republicans, and 76 percent for independents), and across age groups, ethnic groups, and all regions of the Commonwealth.
84 percent of voters surveyed said they would be more likely to support the plan due to its proposed inclusion of funding for more than 30 new mobile crisis teams to respond to calls to Virginia’s 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Hotline to provide urgent help to people in need.
84 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to support the plan because it calls for new funding to support mental health patient transportation to relieve the burden on police officers who are often called on to help transport individuals in crisis.
87 percent said they would be more likely to support the plan because it calls for $15 million to expand mental health services for school age students in need.
76 percent said the proposal’s inclusion of $58 million to increase and fund the number of crisis-receiving centers and crisis stabilization units across Virginia makes them more likely to support the plan.
81 percent indicated they would be more likely to support the plan because it calls for $15 million in funding to combat the opioid crisis and support programming to reduce fentanyl positioning among young people.
And 85 percent noted they would be more likely to support the proposal because it is designed to strengthen the behavioral health workforce, expand telehealth services to serve more patients, and provide same-day services to patients in crisis.
The governor’s proposal included:
$20 million to fund 30+ new mobile crisis teams, meeting our statewide goal in the first year, to respond to 9-8-8 hotline calls
$58 million to increase the number of Crisis Receiving Centers and Crisis Stabilization Units, fully-funding the number of necessary centers in Southwest Virginia and Hampton Roads
$15 million to expand the elementary, middle, and high school-based mental health program to dozens of new communities
$9 million to expand tele-behavioral health services in public schools and on college campuses
$20 million for partnerships with hospitals for alternatives to emergency departments for crisis
$9 million for transportation and in-hospital monitoring by law enforcement and other personnel
$8 million for Serious Mental Illness housing, creating 100 new placements for SMI patients with extraordinary barriers to discharge
$57 million for 500 additional Medicaid Waiver Priority 1 Waitlist Slots and increased provider rates including respite and companion services
$15 million in opioid abatement initiatives including a campaign to reduce fentanyl poisoning among our youth
Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces Additional Administration and Board Appointments
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Claire Standaert, Speechwriter
Meade Spotts II, Operations Coordinator, Partnership for Petersburg
TRANSPORTATION
Jason Powell, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation
BOARD APPOINTMENTS
ADMINISTRATION
STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS
Georgia K. Alvis-Long of Augusta County, Former Member, Augusta County Electoral Board; Registered Nurse Instructor, Augusta Health
The Honorable John O'Bannon, MD, Chair, of Henrico, Former Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Matthew Weinstein of Arlington, Associate, McGuireWoods LLP
AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
VIRGINIA RACING COMMISSION
Dr. Jeff Tanner of Exmore, President, JK Tanner Inc
COMMERCE AND TRADE
VIRGINIA GAS AND OIL BOARD
Willart Cochran of Christiansburg, Western Lead Compliance Assistance Specialist, Virginia Energy/Mineral Mining Program
COMPACT
CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Tim Rupli of McLean, Chairman, Federal Advisory; CEO, TR Rupli & Associates, Inc.
INDEPENDENT
VIRGINIA LOTTERY BOARD
Adam L. Tolbert of Saltville, Senior Director of Administration, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
JUDICIAL
VIRGINIA CRIMINAL SENTENCING COMMISSION
The Honorable Robert Humphreys of Virginia Beach, Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia
LABOR
BOARD FOR ARCHITECTS, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, LAND SURVEYORS, CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNERS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Frederick “Rick” J. Townsend III of Fairfax County, Regional Manager, Collins Engineers, Inc.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY
VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL AUTHORITY
The Honorable Tim Hugo, Chair, of Clifton, Former Member of the Virginia House of Delegates