Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute

The Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI), located in Falls Church, Virginia, is an inpatient psychiatric facility under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). To be eligible for services at NVMHI an individual must:

• Be between the ages of 18 to 65,
• Be in need of acute psychiatric treatment, and
• Reside in one of the five CSB districts in Region 2.

All admissions are pre-screened by the CSB in the person's area of residence. Once the pre-screener has determined the need for admission, the Admissions Department at NVMHI is contacted to arrange an intake. NVMHI accepts individuals with involuntary and voluntary admission status.

NVMHI has a bed capacity of 134, and accepts both civil and forensic admissions. NVMHI is often at capacity due to adherence to legislative requirements as well as ongoing efforts to divert individuals with mental illness from jails to psychiatric treatment. As a result, staff from the CSBs and NVMHI collaborate closely to assure that the psychiatric acute care and crisis needs of individuals living in Northern Virginia are met. These strategies include, but are not limited to, close monitoring of trends and needs across all settings in our continuum of care, close collaboration with our private hospital partners, use of crisis stabilization units, Mandatory Outpatient Treatment (MOT), and collaboration with our local law enforcement officers. Criteria used to monitor our resources have been developed and are updated regularly based upon changing circumstances. These criteria and procedures are:

• Region 2 Admission Protocols
• Regional Resolution Process for Outstanding Issues Related to Admission and Discharge from State Facilities
• NVMHI Admission Priorities
• Medical Clearance for Admission to NVMHI
• Documentation Requirements for State Hospital CSB Discharge Planners
• Collaborative Discharge Protocols for Community Service Boards and State Hospitals Adult & Geriatric
• Cross-Jurisdictional TDO Information
• Northern Virginia CSB Emergency Services / Kaiser Patient Hospitalization Procedures

Local Inpatient Purchase of Services (LIPOS)

State funding dispersed regionally to purchase private psychiatric hospital beds for individuals with no healthcare benefits when admission to a state psychiatric hospital is not possible. Read the LIPOS Frequently Asked Questions.

Region 2 contracts with several local hospitals for LIPOS funding:

• Dominion Hospital
• Inova Behavioral Health Services
  • Fairfax Hospital
  • Loudoun Hospital
  • Mount Vernon Hospital
• North Spring Behavioral Healthcare
• The Pavilion
• Poplar Springs Hospital
• Stone Springs Hospital Center
• UVA/Prince William Medical Center
• Virginia Hospital Center

Staff from Emergency Services of the five Region 2 CSBs place at-risk consumers with no financial resources into these beds when no available beds exist at NVMHI. Discharge planners from Region 2 CSBs monitor their stay and provide discharge planning and transfer to NVMHI as needed. See the list of DBHDS Region 2 CSB Contacts for LIPOS.

Hospital Information

• Region 2 Partner Hospital Contacts
• Hospital Medical Care Capabilities

Adult Forms and Procedures

• Adult LIPOS Admission Form
• Adult LIPOS Extension Form
• LIPOS Out of Region Admission Form
• Adult LIPOS Discharge Form

Youth Forms and Procedures

• General Procedures for Admission to Private Hospital Using Youth Funding List
• Youth LIPOS Admission Form
• Youth LIPOS Extension Form
• Youth LIPOS Discharge Form

Insured Transfers

• Criteria for Insured Transfer to NVMHI