A new national report found Virginia is facing “catastrophic” shortages in community mental health. Providers in Norfolk say many patients still struggle to know where to turn during a mental health crisis.
The report from mental health policy group Inseparable found Virginians go out of network for mental health care six and a half times more often than for physical health care, often leading to higher out-of-pocket costs. It also found Virginia meets only 22% of its psychiatrist workforce needs.
Caitlin Hochul, senior vice president of policymaker relations at Inseparable, said Virginia’s shortage of community mental health providers means patients may wait months to access care and conditions could worsen before treatment becomes available…