The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (12/6) reports that the recent attack on “state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds [D-Bath] by his mentally ill and suicidal son has pushed mental health reform to the top of” Virginia’s legislative agenda. At a panel focusing on healthcare issues on Wednesday, state Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. (R-Augusta), who chairs the state Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission, pointed out that the state is “on [a] path now where we are going to see approximately 1,200 suicides…this year.” Meanwhile, panelist and physician Del. John O’Bannon (R-Henrico), who also sits on the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission, expressed his belief that Virginia legislators need to look at a better way to monitor availability of psychiatric beds within the state.
Related Links:
— “Suicides, mental health needs in focus, lawmaker says, “Tammie Smith, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 5, 2013.