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Virginia’s state mental hospitals are “dangerously” full, and staffing shortages are leaving facilities “overwhelmed” — a long-standing problem that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the state agency in charge of the facilities. But lawmakers and policy experts hope to use money from the latest federal pandemic relief package to create systematic changes that will free inpatient beds and develop community services to keep people out of hospitals in the first place. “We have the opportunity with these funds to really do something transformational. That is what we are asking for,” said Alison Land, commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, which runs the state mental hospitals. (Portnoy, 6/20)

If someone with a disability or brain injury goes missing, a Purple Alert could go out to help find them. That’s due to a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this past week. Beverly Marshall is from Sebring. She says if a Purple Alert had been in place sooner, her son might still be alive. Her son had a cognitive disability and wandered away from home. He came to a 7-Eleven store but couldn’t ask for help due to his disability. (Gaffney, 6/19)

Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will pay off all the past-due rent that accumulated in the nation’s most populated state because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a promise to make landlords whole while giving renters a clean slate. Left unsettled is whether California will continue to ban evictions for unpaid rent beyond June 30, a pandemic-related order that was meant to be temporary but is proving difficult to undo. (Beam, 6/21)

KHN: Montana Tribe Welcomes Back Tourists After Risky Shutdown Pays Off

Millions of people will flock to Montana’s Glacier National Park this summer after last year’s pandemic-caused tourism skid, and they will once more be able sightsee and camp nearby on the recently reopened Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The tourists’ return is a relief to the owners of the restaurants, campgrounds and hotels forced to shut down last summer when Blackfeet tribal leaders closed the roads leading to the eastern side of the popular park. (Bolton, 6/21)

In the four weeks ending March 20, emergency department visits involving suspected suicide attempts jumped 51% for girls age 12-17 compared with the same period in 2019. For boys, the rate increased by 4%. That’s according to a new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency also reported that one-quarter of young adults age 18–24 said they had experienced suicidal thoughts related to the pandemic last summer. (Vestal, 6/19)