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Any bill that gets signed into law in 2024 must first earn the support of both Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state Democrats, who control both chambers of the General Assembly. We all know someone struggling with mental health or addiction, so here’s an area where I think we can find bipartisan agreement: our communities are stronger and safer when people who need behavioral and developmental health services can access them.
As the executive director of the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA) of Virginia, I have seen firsthand how addiction services change lives and strengthen families. I’ve also seen the devastating impact when people become a danger to themselves or others because they can’t find the support they need to get better.
Yet the Virginia agency tasked with providing these services continues to lack the workforce necessary to meet the growing health needs of our communities. We need more addiction counselors, therapists, and peer support specialists to help people get treated for addiction. Without these professionals, our friends and neighbors who need their services will fall through the cracks, which will lead to poorer health outcomes and increased recidivism. Thankfully, we can make major headway in addressing this problem by reforming Virginia’s antiquated barrier crimes law.