§16-42-1 Legislative findings.
§16-42-1. Legislative findings.
The Legislature finds as follows:
(1) That the behavioral health system in West Virginia is rapidly moving toward a state of crisis as a result of overcrowding of the beds in state facilities and prisons, and inadequate community support services to prevent these problems;
(2) That untreated and inadequately treated behavioral illness and substance abuse and ongoing domestic violence have placed a significant impediment upon West Virginia businesses and have placed heavy fiscal pressures on many West Virginia government and non-profit agencies;
(3) That these untreated problems and lack of services are directly linked to increases in fatalities, penal incarcerations, suicides, utilization of public assistance, homelessness, increased school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, excessive employee absenteeism, underemployment, unemployment, higher workers' compensation costs and many other health, criminal justice, social and personal problems which cost our state millions of dollars each year; and
(4) That the health and economic well-being of the state and its citizens requires the development of the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Commission to conduct a comprehensive study and review of the behavioral health care system of West Virginia and the total public and private dollars actually being spent on prevention, treatment, education and other services related to mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence in West Virginia.