Virginia health professionals would take suicide-risk training

Listed professionals would complete board-approved training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. The repeat-training group includes counselors, substance abuse treatment practitioners, marriage and family therapists, behavioral health technicians, qualified mental health professionals, occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Other listed groups include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists. Registered behavioral health technician assistants and licensed massage therapists are excluded from specified Sub The eight professions in subsection A would complete training at least once every six years; the other listed professionals would complete it once. Subsection A training must last at least six hours. Subsection B does not specify a minimum length. Hours count toward applicable continuing education or competency requirements. The first training is due by the end of the first full continuing-education reporting period after July 1, 2027, or after initial licensure or certification, whichever comes later.

The state health commissioner and Department of Health Professions would create and update a model list of training programs, and the department would set minimum standards. The commissioner and department would work together on the model list; the department would set minimum standards for programs on the list. The standards would require six-hour training to cover veterans, assessing imminent danger involving lethal means or self-harm, and helping people access the 988 hotline and crisis response services. The commissioner and department would consult affected boards, colleges, educators, experts, the Department of Veterans Services, and relevant professional associations. The department would adopt minimum standards by January 1, 2027, and update the model list at least every two years.