Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is planning to shake up the state's behavioral health system, The Center Square reported Dec. 13.
Mr. Youngkin will announce details of his Right Help, Right Now initiative Dec. 14. On Dec. 12, he employed a new task force to aid the state's law that allows magistrates to issue a temporary detention order for treatment for any individual with mental illness who poses a threat to themselves or others.
Temporary detention orders in the state rose by 389 percent between 2013 in 2019, according to a state report.
The task force is working to solve long waitlists for services, which have caused controversy with the law.
"Virginia's current TDO process is bad for patients, care providers, families, and law enforcement who wait with these patients for a placement," John Littel, state secretary of health and human resources, said in a statement, according to the publication. "This task force is a key step in improving the behavioral health system across the Commonwealth."