Shortly after Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) was stabbed by his son in his Bath County home, Gov. Bob McDonnell asked Health and Human Resource Secretary Bill Hazel to conduct a review of the incident.
The request stems from the news the son — former College of William and Mary student Austin “Gus” Deeds — was released from a regional mental health facility in Bath County because staff there had determined there was no psychiatric bed available for him to be held for further evaluation and inpatient treatment. After the attack, Gus Deeds shot and killed himself with a rifle.
The results of Hazel’s review were released by the governor last week, just days after he proposed $38.3 million in new funding for mental health spending over the next two years. That spending would bring millions of dollars to James City County in the form of increased funding for Eastern State Hospital. McDonnell also signed an executive order creating a task force to improve mental health services and crisis response in the state.
For his review, Hazel analyzed medical records and interviewed clinicians, hospital personnel and law enforcement officers who were involved in the incident and its aftermath. He made many recommendations on how the state’s mental health system can be improved.
Many of the recommendations are for community service boards, which serve as an entryway into the public system of mental health, intellectual disability and substance abuse treatment in Virginia. There are 40 throughout the state, including Colonial Behavioral Health, which serves residents of the Historic Triangle and Poquoson.
In the incident with Deeds, it was revealed officials wanted to place a temporary detention order on Gus Deeds, however they said they were unable to find a bed. He had been under an emergency custody order, which allows for him to be confined for up to six hours. A TDO would enable Gus Deeds to be confined to a psychiatric bed for up to 48 hours. Gus Deeds was released later that day, with the attack occurring less than 24 hours later.
Hazel recommended some procedural changes involving TDOs, such as removing a requirement that the facility where the temporary detention would occur be specified on the TDO. He is also calling for a study to assess the need statewide for sites where TDOs can occur. He also wants to see the Code of Virginia amended to allow for emergency custody orders to extend beyond six hours when a CSB technician has determined a TDO is necessary but needs additional time to find a bed.
Hazel also recommended the completion of an electronic bed registry that will allow CSBs and hospitals to see in real time where beds are available for psychiatric patients.
In addition, Hazel recommended a study to determine the needs in each region of the state for services that will enable assessment and early identification of emotional and psychiatric concerns in children and adults.
