An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 37.2-405.3, relating to Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; emergency medical simulations; cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
HB1370 requires the Virginia Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adopt regulations for providers serving people with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders. The regulations must require providers to conduct regular emergency medical simulations and train staff who regularly interact with service recipients so employees can recognize and respond to medical emergencies. The bill also requires at least one employee trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be on duty at each service location, and it treats current EMT certification as satisfying the training requirement.
The bill directs the Board to work with stakeholders and have the initial regulations in place by December 1, 2026. It also exempts the first round of rulemaking from the Administrative Process Act, allowing the regulations to be adopted more quickly than usual.
The bill adds a new section, § 37.2-405.3, to the Code of Virginia and expands regulatory requirements for behavioral health and developmental services providers. It imposes new operational and staffing standards on providers delivering services to individuals with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders, including emergency preparedness training and CPR coverage at each location. The Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services must implement these requirements through regulation, affecting provider compliance obligations statewide.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the available materials. The enacted chapter text suggests the measure received sufficient support to pass and be signed into law. Based on the bill’s public safety and emergency preparedness focus, the overall sentiment appears to have been favorable or at least noncontroversial in the available record.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of concern, if raised, would likely involve the cost and staffing burden on providers, the feasibility of maintaining CPR-trained staff on duty at every location, and the expedited regulatory process that bypasses the Administrative Process Act for initial adoption. However, none of these issues are reflected in the supplied transcripts or votes.