(a) The Governor of the Virgin Islands shall establish at least one public Behavioral Health Treatment Facility in the Virgin Islands; comprising of residential treatment, transitional care, detox and day treatment services. The behavioral health treatment facility must house those committed under this chapter. The facility must also house acute patients and those who suffer from behavioral challenges, mental health disorders, and substance use disorder.
(b) The Governor with the advice and consent of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands shall appoint an Administrator to head the behavioral health treatment facility. The Administrator shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
The Governor shall include funding in the executive budget each fiscal year for the behavioral health treatment facility and the facility shall receive an annual appropriation from the Casino Revenue Fund pursuant to 32 V.I.C. § 517(c) for the operating expenses of the facility and such other funding as provided in section 1007 of the chapter.
(c) The duties of the Administrator of the Behavioral Health Treatment Facility are to:(1) Receive for observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment any person whose admission is applied for under section 1019 or section 1020 if the certifying examination conducted was completed no more than two days prior to the date of admission or unless ordered otherwise by the court;(2) Receive for observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment any person whose admission is applied for under section 1026 or is ordered to the facility by court order, in the public behavioral health treatment facility;(3) Work with a wide variety of stakeholders, such as, physicians, nurses, social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, physician assistants, administrative staff, patients, families, and partnered social services;(4) Coordinate between multiple departments in order to keep the facility running as efficiently as possible;(5) Manage internal responsibilities of a behavioral health director, including managing the administrative and clinical operations of the facility; and(6) Manage external responsibilities including, focusing on outreach, collaboration, and compliance.
(1) Receive for observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment any person whose admission is applied for under section 1019 or section 1020 if the certifying examination conducted was completed no more than two days prior to the date of admission or unless ordered otherwise by the court;
(2) Receive for observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment any person whose admission is applied for under section 1026 or is ordered to the facility by court order, in the public behavioral health treatment facility;
(3) Work with a wide variety of stakeholders, such as, physicians, nurses, social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, physician assistants, administrative staff, patients, families, and partnered social services;
(4) Coordinate between multiple departments in order to keep the facility running as efficiently as possible;
(5) Manage internal responsibilities of a behavioral health director, including managing the administrative and clinical operations of the facility; and
(6) Manage external responsibilities including, focusing on outreach, collaboration, and compliance.
(d) The Administrator of the Behavioral Health Treatment Facility must meet the following responsibilities and hold the minimum qualifications identified in this subsection.(1) The responsibilities of the Administrator include, but are not limited to the following:(A) Align budgets with the facility’s public and private income streams;(B) Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations;(C) Design and implement programs of development and marketing;(D) Work with senior leadership to determine strategic goals;(E) Develop systems to hire, train, and manage staff;(F) Coordinate with other behavioral health services in the community; and(G) Oversee the transition to new IT systems.(2) Qualifications and minimum required skills and knowledge include:(A) an undergraduate degree in a relevant area covering technical knowledge of behavioral health, such as psychology, social work, or public health; and(B) a Master’s degree in a relevant area covering advanced technical knowledge of behavioral health and focusing on either the administrative or the services aspect of the profession, such as a master’s in public health (MPH) or a master’s in healthcare administration (MHA), licensed mental health professional; or the Administrator must:(i) Be an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) or clinical physician (MD), or hold a doctorate in related behavioral health fields (PhD, PsyD, EdD, DSW, DMFT, DBH), such as counseling, social work, marriage & family therapy, or psychology; and(ii) Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field.
(1) The responsibilities of the Administrator include, but are not limited to the following:(A) Align budgets with the facility’s public and private income streams;(B) Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations;(C) Design and implement programs of development and marketing;(D) Work with senior leadership to determine strategic goals;(E) Develop systems to hire, train, and manage staff;(F) Coordinate with other behavioral health services in the community; and(G) Oversee the transition to new IT systems.
(A) Align budgets with the facility’s public and private income streams;
(B) Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations;
(C) Design and implement programs of development and marketing;
(D) Work with senior leadership to determine strategic goals;
(E) Develop systems to hire, train, and manage staff;
(F) Coordinate with other behavioral health services in the community; and
(G) Oversee the transition to new IT systems.
(2) Qualifications and minimum required skills and knowledge include:(A) an undergraduate degree in a relevant area covering technical knowledge of behavioral health, such as psychology, social work, or public health; and(B) a Master’s degree in a relevant area covering advanced technical knowledge of behavioral health and focusing on either the administrative or the services aspect of the profession, such as a master’s in public health (MPH) or a master’s in healthcare administration (MHA), licensed mental health professional; or the Administrator must:(i) Be an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) or clinical physician (MD), or hold a doctorate in related behavioral health fields (PhD, PsyD, EdD, DSW, DMFT, DBH), such as counseling, social work, marriage & family therapy, or psychology; and(ii) Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field.
(A) an undergraduate degree in a relevant area covering technical knowledge of behavioral health, such as psychology, social work, or public health; and
(B) a Master’s degree in a relevant area covering advanced technical knowledge of behavioral health and focusing on either the administrative or the services aspect of the profession, such as a master’s in public health (MPH) or a master’s in healthcare administration (MHA), licensed mental health professional; or the Administrator must:(i) Be an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) or clinical physician (MD), or hold a doctorate in related behavioral health fields (PhD, PsyD, EdD, DSW, DMFT, DBH), such as counseling, social work, marriage & family therapy, or psychology; and(ii) Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field.
(i) Be an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) or clinical physician (MD), or hold a doctorate in related behavioral health fields (PhD, PsyD, EdD, DSW, DMFT, DBH), such as counseling, social work, marriage & family therapy, or psychology; and
(ii) Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field.