Mental health system transformation after the Virginia Tech tragedy.
On 16 April 2007, a deeply disturbed Virginia Tech student murdered thirty-two fellow students and faculty and then shot himself. Less than one year later, the Virginia legislature improved the emergency evaluation process, modified the criteria for involuntary commitment, tightened procedures for mandatory outpatient treatment, and increased state funding for community mental health services. The unanswered question, however, is whether the necessary political momentum can be sustained for the long-term investment in community services and the fundamental legal changes needed to transform a system focused on managing access to scarce hospital beds to a community-based system of accessible voluntary services.
University of Virginia (UVA) School of Law in Charlottesville, USA. rbonnie@virginia.edu
Richard J
RJ
Bonnie
James S
JS
Reinhard
Phillip
P
Hamilton
Elizabeth L
EL
McGarvey
D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004190:Disasters; D020793:Gatekeeping; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011330:Prisons / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013221:State Health Plans / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D014768:Virginia; D000092864:Suicide Prevention