Virginia behavioral‑health commissioner previews crisis expansion, outpatient restoration bill and facility shifts

Darryl Washington, commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, told the Senate Finance and Appropriations HHR subcommittee that the department is prioritizing crisis transformation, expanding mobile crisis capacity and preparing for facility changes while managing a largely flat proposed budget.

Washington said the crisis system has expanded rapidly: "We're really moving towards being a nationwide leader in crisis services," he told the panel, noting the state scaled mobile crisis teams from 36 to 110 and reported more than 60,000 crisis hotline dispatches in the most recent December. He said crisis receiving centers are being expanded but added that not all centers are yet able to accept temporary detention orders (TDOs), which places additional pressure on state psychiatric hospitals.

Forensic bed pressures and restoration policy: Washington reported that roughly 94% of beds at Eastern State and Central State hospitals are occupied by forensic patients, leaving about 26 beds available for civil patients. To address inpatient demand, he highlighted a bill that would allow outpatient restoration for some misdemeanor defendants, saying outpatient restoration costs about $1,500 compared with roughly $91,000 for inpatient restoration in hospital settings.

Central State Hospital and Hiram Davis: Washington previewed opening of the new Central State Hospital next calendar year and said DBHDS will concentrate FY27 capital and operating funds at Catawba Hospital for health, safety and security upgrades. He also discussed plans begun in 2024 to close Hiram Davis—describing the building as at "end of life"—and to transfer some residents to Southeast Virginia Training Center and to community placements. Washington said the current Hiram Davis census is about 26 residents and that a fiscal analysis estimates potential savings of about $170,000,000 from closure, though he acknowledged the move would be emotionally fraught and require careful community planning.

Discharge and community placement process: When senators asked how the department will handle community transitions, Washington described individualized discharge planning, efforts to find placements close to families when possible, and ongoing work to build community supports. He offered to follow up with exact bed counts and placement details when staff return from inclement‑weather absences.

Waivers, supported housing and CSV balances: Washington updated the subcommittee on waiver implementation and a permanent injunction status (reporting compliance on many indicators), said DBHDS allocated over 1,300 DD waivers this year, and noted a priority‑1 wait list remains. He described progress on permanent supportive housing (leasing up about two‑thirds of funded slots) and attributed unspent Community Services Board (CSB/CSV) balances to workforce and build‑out timing; the department plans to tighten language in performance contracts to reduce unspent funds.

What Washington will provide next: The commissioner pledged to supply precise bed counts, additional details on special hospitalization costs, and further information about community placement plans and fiscal modeling for facility decisions.

Attribution: Direct quotes and program figures in this article are attributed to Darryl Washington during his presentation and subsequent Q&A; committee members posed clarifying questions but did not take formal votes during the session.