RICHMOND, Va. — Two years ago, Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed sweeping investments to overhaul the state’s behavioral health system. The initiative, called Right Help, Right Now, promised funding for crisis response solutions like mobile crisis teams and a new crisis hotline.

On Wednesday, Youngkin said the commonwealth had made good on that promise.

“We are finding a way to get people the help they need when they need it, and that does not mean tomorrow or next month,” he said during a news conference at the Patrick Henry Building. “It means today.”

At the outset, the program’s goals included boosting the number of mobile crisis response units from 36 to 70. Today, there are 102 active teams operating 24/7 year round. Those teams average a 50-minute response time across the state. Likewise, Youngkin said that between crisis receiving centers, stabilization units and therapeutic homes, there are now 663 available crisis units, up from 213.

Other highlights included the 988 hotline, which acts as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises. In September, the hotline received more than 14,000 calls. Youngkin said the wider availability of dedicated mental health supports also reduced the amount of time police officers spent monitoring people in crisis at hospitals.

To continue the progress, Youngkin pledged an additional $70 million to further the efforts of Right Help, Right Now in a budget proposal he will present next week.

Still, there’s work to be done.

The bulk of last year’s funding went to developmental disability waivers, distributed quarterly over two years and designed to help children and adults with disabilities receive support at home. Historically, the waitlist to receive these waivers has been thousands of people long. The mental health investment has funded 3,440 slots for top applicants — effectively enough to clear the backlog of people who urgently need support services.

But that doesn’t mean there’s enough support to get people help right away. There is a rollout process, and advocates have warned there remains a shortage of service providers who act as an alternative to group homes.

“We hear from people when they get (the waiver), and they call excited,” said Tonya Milling, executive director of the Arc of Virginia, an organization that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “And then it’s, ‘Oh my God, what do I do?”

To that end, the Arc is lobbying for resources to help waiver recipients navigate the process.

Milling said there’s also a difference in how crisis intervention systems work for people with developmental disabilities compared to people accessing the mental health system without one, at least right now.

“It’s taken longer to get crisis receiving centers trained, ready and prepared so that they know how to support someone with (intellectual and developmental disabilities) when they come in,” she said. “We have a lot of people with significant support needs that have autism that can manifest as a behavioral health crisis. Calling the cops is still pretty scary, so there needs to be so much more education on 988 and for people to know to call that.”

Of the $70 million in spending included in Youngkin’s budget amendments, $35 million would go toward Special Conservators of the Peace, badged officers in hospitals and emergency departments that would take custody of people experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Youngkin said the goal is to reduce the time police officers spend in hospitals.

The governor will present his amended budget proposal to state lawmakers next Wednesday. The General Assembly convenes Jan. 8 and will adjourn Feb. 22. During the session, lawmakers will consider this and other amendments Youngkin proposes for the state’s two-year budget plan.

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