Abstract
In the early morning hours of February 21, 2022, a temporary detention order (“TDO”) was issued for a young girl from Giles County, Virginia, to admit her for psychiatric treatment during a mental health emergency. The minor, identified by the initials S.E., was staying at a residential treatment facility when Chesterfield County police officers drove her to Chippenham Hospital for an evaluation. S.E. was to be transported to the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton, Virginia, for treatment, but the center “asserted that it had no beds available and refused to accept S.E. as a patient.” Instead, S.E. was held in Chippenham Hospital’s emergency room for the ninety-six-hour duration of her TDO under the supervision of a Chesterfield County police officer. A bed was not made available at the Commonwealth Center until after the TDO had expired, and S.E. was ultimately transported back to Giles County without receiving mental health treatment. ...
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Recommended Citation
Mary C. Fritz, Hitting Snooze Amidst Virginia's Mental Health Crisis: The Shortcomings of the Bed of Last Resort and the Need for a Continuum of Crisis Care, 58 U. Rich. L. Rev. 875 (2024).
