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Health Services

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All inmates receive quality routine and urgent health care while under the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC). Services include:

  • Nurse and doctor sick calls

  • Chronic care visits

  • Dental visits

  • Other specialty appointments

Our health services team is comprised of approximately 1,200 internal VADOC staff and contractors dedicated to providing health care in a correctional environment. They receive about 750,000 patient visits every year.

Mental Health and Wellness Services

About 30% of Virginia’s institutional population has mental health issues.

Each major institution has mental health staff onsite. There are six specialized mental health units throughout the state licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). These units serve individuals with significant mental illnesses.

Mental health staff also offer core and outpatient services to all offenders at major facilities. These include:

  • Screenings
  • Assessments
  • Crisis management
  • Group therapy
  • Medication management
  • Monitoring
  • Brief individual solution-focused sessions

Services may vary from site to site depending on the inmate's needs, level of functioning, and available resources.

Our mental health staff also works with probation and parole officers, local and regional jails, and community partners to assist in re-entry planning and continuity of care for probationers.

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