The Virginian-Pilot
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RICHMOND
One year after increasing mental health funding and revamping related laws, Virginia's grade on a state-by-state mental health report card improved from barely passing to average.
Virginia received a C in the National Alliance on Mental Illness 2009 report card released Wednesday, making it one of 14 states whose grade improved since rankings were last done three years ago.
At that time, Virginia was rated a D, which remains the national average.
"In no uncertain terms, the state's response to Virginia Tech played a pretty significant role in moving up," Mira Signer, National Alliance on Mental Illness Virginia executive director, said Wednesday.
Signer alternated between praising Virginia for the strides it has made after the April 2007 shootings at Tech that claimed 32 lives and urging officials to boost state funding for mental health services.
Much of the change enacted last year came in response to revelations that Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho, who took his own life after the shooting rampage, had slipped through the cracks of the state mental health system.
"Clearly, there is still work to be done," Signer said. "The real proof of change will be whether a long-term, sustained commitment to change is made."
Officials with the National Alliance on Mental Illness have called for millions of dollars in additional state funds for mental health services.
State officials contend that the 44 mental health reform bills passed in 2008 and the infusion of $42 million in new money for services and programs show Virginia is making investments.
"We actually have no disagreement with them in terms of where we want to be," Frank Tetrick, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, said.
The report card comes at a challenging time for Virginia, a state, like many others, struggling to balance its budget during a recession with targeted spending cuts.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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Barely passing is good news?
I'm so glad that the state has managed to improve their rating on the mental health report card but do you realy think that we've done enough? When I finally see all the mentally ill people out on the streets being taken care of, then we'll be able to say we are doing a good job helping the mentally ill.