SB555 passed out of the House of Delegates’ Health, Welfare, and Institutions (HWI) Subcommittee #2 this morning, 2/20/18, with a result of 7 yea to 3 nay; however, there are three more steps for this bill to be signed into law: Thursday morning at 9:30...
Continue ReadingSB555 passed out of the House of Delegates’ Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee this morning with a resulting vote of 16 to 6. What happens next? After a bill passes out of committee, it either gets sent to the Finance/Appropriations Committee t...
Continue ReadingToday, Senate Bill 555 passed in the House with a resulting vote of 62 to 36; the next step is for Governor Northam to sign it into law. There were still a few members of the House who expressed deep concerns about the perceived dangers of removing a barr...
Continue ReadingVOCAL will bring these trainings – and more – to sites across Virginia in the next 18 months: eCPR, Trauma Informed Care, Pathways, Smart Recovery, Community Inclusion, Peer Support Whole Health and Resilience. Some opportunities to become...
Continue ReadingThis issue is jam-packed with goodies including an essay about the impact Community Inclusion has made in the life of Ann Benner, announcements from friends and allies including Living Proof Outreach LLC’s 1st Annual African American Mental Health ...
Continue ReadingWe want to hear from you about Medicaid! With Medicaid expansion passing in January, as well as the developments in STEP-VA for CSBs, the Departments of Medical Assistance Services and Behavioral Health and Developmental Services are partnering with organ...
Continue ReadingJanet Foner was a mental health liberation activist. She died on July 24. Read it here.
Continue ReadingVOCAL Executive Director, Deidre Johnson, met with Henrico County Deputy Chief of Police, Major Todd A. Alvis, and CIT Lieutenant, Cindy Wood, regarding the tragic death of Gay Ellen Plack today. VOCAL would like to extend our deepest heartfelt condolen...
Continue ReadingAs we approach the third full week of the 2020 session, things are well underway at the General Assembly in Richmond. A historic beginning to the session was observed on January 8th when Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) was sworn in as the Speake...
Continue ReadingLearn how treatment and support make it possible for people with serious mental illness (SMI) lived experience manage their disorder and live healthy and rewarding lives.
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