Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 37.2-308.1 as follows:

§37.2-308.1. Acute psychiatric bed registry.

A. The Department shall develop and administer a web-based acute psychiatric bed registry to collect, aggregate, and display information about available acute beds in public and private inpatient psychiatric facilities and public and private residential crisis stabilization units to facilitate the identification and designation of facilities for the temporary detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention pursuant to §37.2-809.

B. The acute psychiatric bed registry created pursuant to subsection A shall:

1. Include descriptive information for every public and private inpatient psychiatric facility and every public or private crisis stabilization unit in the Commonwealth, including contact information for the facility;

2. Provide real-time information about the number of beds available at each facility and, for each available bed, the type of patient that may be admitted, the level of security provided, and any other information that may be necessary to allow employees or designees of community services boards and employees of psychiatric facilities to identify appropriate facilities for detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention; and

3. Allow employees and designees of community services boards and employees of psychiatric facilities to perform searches of the registry to identify available beds that are appropriate for the detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention.

C. Every state facility, community services board, behavioral health authority, and private provider licensed by the Department shall participate in the acute psychiatric bed registry established pursuant to subsection A and shall designate an employee to submit information for inclusion in the acute psychiatric bed registry and serve as a point of contact for addressing requests for information related to data reported to the acute psychiatric bed registry. Information reported to the acute psychiatric bed registry shall be updated at least daily.

D. The Commissioner may enter into a contract with a private entity for the development and administration of the acute psychiatric bed registry established pursuant to subsection A.