December 1, 2005

The Cost & Feasibility of Alternatives to the State's Five Mental Retardation Training Centers

In 2005, the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services studied the cost and feasibility of developing community- based alternatives to the state's five mental retardation training centers, renovating the state's five mental retardation training centers, or a combination of both to meet the future care and housing needs of these individuals, as required in the 2005 Appropriation Act for the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees. This feasibility study report includes an overview of Virginia's mental retardation system: its vision, values, progress, and challenges, the process used for completing the study, a description of the findings, and the identification of the most feasible and cost effective option, with strategies and related costs.