                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PURPOSE; COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD; SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED (§ 37.2-500)

A. The Department, for the purposes of establishing, maintaining, and promoting
the development of mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services in
the Commonwealth, may provide funds to assist any city or county or any
combinations of cities or counties or cities and counties in the provision of
these services. Every city or county shall establish a community services board
by itself or in any combination with other cities and counties, unless it
establishes a behavioral health authority pursuant to Chapter 6 (&#xA7; 37.2-600
et seq.). In order to provide comprehensive mental health, developmental, and
substance abuse services within a continuum of care, the community services
board shall function as the single point of entry into publicly funded mental
health, developmental, and substance abuse services.

B. The core of services provided by community services boards within the cities
and counties that they serve shall include:

   1. Emergency services;

   2. Same-day mental health screening services;

   3. Outpatient primary care screening and monitoring services for physical
   health indicators and health risks and follow-up services for individuals
   identified as being in need of assistance with overcoming barriers to
   accessing primary health services, including developing linkages to primary
   health care providers; and

   4. Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for them, case management
   services.

C. Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for them, the core of
services may include a comprehensive system of inpatient, outpatient, day
support, residential, prevention, early intervention, and other appropriate
mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services necessary to provide
individualized services and supports to persons with mental illness,
developmental disabilities, or substance abuse. Community services boards may
establish crisis stabilization units that provide residential crisis
stabilization services.

D. The purpose of behavioral health services provided by community services
boards shall be to enable individuals who have a mental illness or substance use
disorder that significantly impairs their functioning to access effective,
timely, and cost-efficient services that help them (i) overcome or manage
functional impairments caused by the mental illness or substance use disorder
and (ii) remain in the community to the greatest extent possible, consistent
with the individual&#8217;s well-being and public safety.

E. Every city or county or any combination of cities and counties that has
established a community services board, in consultation with that board, shall
designate it as an operating community services board, an administrative policy
community services board, or a local government department with a
policy-advisory community services board. The governing body of each city or
county that established the community services board may change this designation
at any time by ordinance. In the case of a community services board established
by more than one city or county, the decision to change this designation shall
be the unanimous decision of all governing bodies.

F. A community services board may enter into contracts with private providers to
ensure the delivery of services pursuant to this article.

HISTORY: 1968, c. 477, § 37.1-194; 1972, c. 498; 1974, c. 404; 1975, c. 200;
1976, cc. 41, 671; 1977, c. 90; 1980, c. 582; 1982, c. 295; 1984, c. 653; 1998,
c. 680; 2002, cc. 51, 278; 2005, c. 716; 2010, c. 28; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2017,
cc. 458, 607, 683; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 213; 2023, c. 484.