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Full-Text Articles in Health Law and Policy
Renewed Commitment: The Latest Chapter In Reforming Virginia's Mental Health System, The Honorable Jennifer L. Mcclellan
Renewed Commitment: The Latest Chapter In Reforming Virginia's Mental Health System, The Honorable Jennifer L. Mcclellan
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
In the wake of the highly publicized Virginia Tech tragedy, the 2008 General Assembly Session adopted mental health reforms that focused on the provision of emergency services during the detention and commitment process, and an increase in funding to implement these reforms and strengthen emergency services. Despite the reforms, the issue of inadequate capacity to meet the increasing demand for mental health services remains in a number of key areas, including emergency services and a decline in in-patient psychiatric bed capacity while population growth continues.
An Analysis Of The Political And Legal Debates Concerning Medicaid Expansion In Virginia, Rick Mayes Ph.D, Benjamin Paul
An Analysis Of The Political And Legal Debates Concerning Medicaid Expansion In Virginia, Rick Mayes Ph.D, Benjamin Paul
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
The Supreme Court's historic June 2012 ruling regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius set the stage for a massive federalism battle over Medicaid expansion in the United States. The original language of the Act was intended to nationalize Medicaid by having every state expand their program's eligibility to all individuals up to 138% of the federal poverty level. This would have significantly reshaped Medicaid, a joint federal-state health insurance program, into a universal entitlement for all low-income citizens. Currently, Medicaid eligibility varies dramatically from state to state. The Court held that the …
Reproductive Freedom And Virginia's 2012 General Assembly Session, Katherine Greenier
Reproductive Freedom And Virginia's 2012 General Assembly Session, Katherine Greenier
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
While the Governor approved H.B. 462, the mandatory ultrasound bill, H.B. 62, H.B. 1285, and S.B. 637 failed in the General Assembly.37 As introduced this 2012 session, H.B. 1 contained different bill language than the prior years it has been introduced. H.B. 62, H.B. 1285, and S.B. 637 were new bills, not seen in past years. An analysis and overview of these measures sheds light on the increasing attempts and the tactics used by legislators to undermine reproductive freedom.
Virginia's War On Women: How Forcing Women To Have An Ultrasound Before Abortion Is Unconstitutional, Alison B. Linas
Virginia's War On Women: How Forcing Women To Have An Ultrasound Before Abortion Is Unconstitutional, Alison B. Linas
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
This comment will discuss how the ultrasound bill, like similar ones in other states, is unconstitutional for two reasons. First, requiring a woman to undergo a medically unnecessary procedure at her own expense is an undue burden under Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Second, the Supreme Court has held that competent people have the right to refuse medical care. By requiring a woman to have an ultrasound, the State is depriving her of her constitutional right to refuse care. Part 11 of this comment will focus on the Supreme Court's role in shaping abortion policy. Part II(A) concerns the history of …
Dispatch From The Culture War: Virginia's Failed Hpv Vaccination Mandate, Rachel Reynolds
Dispatch From The Culture War: Virginia's Failed Hpv Vaccination Mandate, Rachel Reynolds
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
coverage seems to have become overshadowed. This paper will inquire into what makes Gardasil different from other vaccines, and how that impacts its administration. Part I will describe the specifics of the HPV vaccine: how it works and how Virginia decided to promote its usage. Part II will examine the ways in which jurisdictions have traditionally understood vaccination policy, and contrast it with the ways in which they have handled the HPV vaccine. Part III will examine the disadvantages of continuing the mandate's ineffective political war of attrition, and suggest a coalition-building strategy to effect policy that honors communal values …
Health Care Reform In Virginia: Lessons Learned Before, During, And After The 2011 Virginia General Assembly, Hunter W. Jamerson
Health Care Reform In Virginia: Lessons Learned Before, During, And After The 2011 Virginia General Assembly, Hunter W. Jamerson
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
This article surveys Virginia's initial foray into health care reform. This process began with the Virginia Health Reform Initiative, which had a significant presence in the Virginia 2011 General Assembly session. While the nascent health care reform efforts this session reflect only incremental steps, they are indicative of Virginia's direction and commitment to change. Such change, however, will carry great political and professional strife. This article highlights some examples of the challenges faced on the road to health care reform and discusses possible directions of future legislation in the Virginia General Assembly.
Legal Preparedness For Pandemic Influenza: Is Virginia Ready, Kristen Digirolam
Legal Preparedness For Pandemic Influenza: Is Virginia Ready, Kristen Digirolam
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
We cannot look at the legal issues of pandemic influenza in a vacuum. This paper attempts to identify the legal issues at stake during a pandemic and how those issues need to be discussed as a whole when preparing for a pandemic. Part II of this paper will give a brief description of pandemic influenza and look at the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Part III will examine the origins of legal authority during a pandemic at the federal, state, and local levels of government. Part IV will look at some of the specific legal issues that may arise during …
Lyme Disease: The Surprising Debate In The 2010 Virginia House Of Delegates, Gerald C. Canaan Ii, Karah L. Gunther
Lyme Disease: The Surprising Debate In The 2010 Virginia House Of Delegates, Gerald C. Canaan Ii, Karah L. Gunther
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
In most every General Assembly session, there are those bills that while on the surface appear fairly innocuous-quickly take on a life of their own, generating an audible buzz in and around the General Assembly Building. The 2010 Virginia General Assembly session was no different. Amidst hallway discussions concerning the budget, gun rights, and abortion, one could also hear the distinct murmur of a completely novel topic: Lyme disease. Often associated with a small, pesky insect known as the black-legged tick, until this year, Lyme disease had not been the subject of any controversial legislation proposed in the Commonwealth of …
Jamming The Revolving Door: Legislative Setbacks For Mental Health Court Systems In Virginia, Sheila Moheb
Jamming The Revolving Door: Legislative Setbacks For Mental Health Court Systems In Virginia, Sheila Moheb
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
Proponents of MHCs assert that alternative court systems will provide efficient jail diversion programs and reduce the number of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system by directing them to appropriate community treatment facilities. At the same time, MHCs must serve as only one branch of a larger, cohesive community effort to deter individuals with mental illness from incarceration, if not from conviction. Both advocates and adversaries of MHCs remain wary of the potential misuse of mental health courts, which may subject people with mental illness to greater criminalization or lead to greater fragmentation of the mental health …
New Era Begins: Mental Health Law Reform In Virginia, Jane D. Hickey, Allyson K. Tysinger
New Era Begins: Mental Health Law Reform In Virginia, Jane D. Hickey, Allyson K. Tysinger
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
Amidst calls for mental health reform and a sense of urgency stemming from the tragic events at Virginia Tech, the 2008 session of the Virginia General Assembly convened. The legislative reaction was overwhelming: Legislators introduced a vast array of bills relating to mental health. By the end of the session, the General Assembly enacted the most sweeping revisions to Virginia's mental health laws since the 1970s.
Mental Health In Virginia, Phillip Hamilton
Mental Health In Virginia, Phillip Hamilton
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
Since the April 16, 2007 tragedy at Virginia Tech, the public's attention has focused on Virginia's mental health system. Like far too many public policy issues that face the government, it often takes a tragedy to bring an issue to the point where real action is taken. Over the years, one of the major issues facing Virginia has been how to best meet the needs of its citizens requiring mental health services. This is not a new issue. Since 1949 there have been many studies of Virginia's mental health system. These studies have emphasized the same issues over and over …
Promised Reforms Fall Short Of The Mark, Colleen Miller
Promised Reforms Fall Short Of The Mark, Colleen Miller
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
Did the General Assembly pass sweeping mental health law reforms? Do the new laws make it easier to hospitalize individuals against their will, and if so, is that a desirable end? While new legislation rewords our civil commitment statute, do the new words really improve Virginia's mental health care system? In all likelihood, the most significant effect of the new legislation will be making our mental health laws more vulnerable to constitutional challenge, while simultaneously making it more difficult for Virginians to get necessary mental health treatment voluntarily.
Secondhand Smoke Deserves First-Rate Attention, Rickie Fulcher
Secondhand Smoke Deserves First-Rate Attention, Rickie Fulcher
Richmond Public Interest Law Review
Most people probably do not know that as many as 65,000 nonsmokers die from secondhand smoke exposure each year. In fact, secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. During the 2008 session of the Virginia General Assembly, state legislators commendably introduced twelve smoke-free bills -the most in the legislature's history. While many of these efforts to protect the public health succeeded in the Senate, a House of Delegates subcommittee declined to hear many of the bills, effectively removing them from further consideration. Clearly, Virginia has a long way to go, but support for …