A virtual mental health initiative that launched one year ago has tripled its reach expanding to 30 partners across Virginia.
The Virginia Telemental Health Initiative has grown from 10 to 30 partners across the Commonwealth including the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic, the Charlottesville Free Clinic and Blue Ridge Free Clinic.
VTMHI delivers free teletherapy to uninsured and underinsured patients referred by clinics expanding access to critical mental health care statewide.
Since its inception, 60 mental health providers have served more than 350 patients.
Founded by the Virginia Telehealth Network, the program is made possible by:
- Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
- University of Virginia Karen S. Rheuban Center for Telehealth
- Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
- VTMHI’s volunteers
- free and charitable clinic partners
Interested patients may contact participating free clinics directly to determine their eligibility and make appointments.
Bilingual volunteers: ‘One of our top priorities right now’
A recent behavioral health needs assessment of 158 Spanish-speaking Latinos in the Greater Richmond area found that 20 percent reported depression or anxiety and nearly half had experienced at least one traumatic event. However, the assessment found that nearly 70 percent had never sought mental health care due to lack of health care coverage, among other factors.
In addition to establishing partnerships with clinics to serve more regions across Virginia, increasing engagement from bilingual volunteer providers has remained a critical need since the program’s launch.
Today, nearly one in five patients require therapy in a language other than English.
“We’re proud to have been able to serve patients in their native language, and grateful to all our volunteers who made that possible,” said Mara Servaites, VTMHI’s executive director. “But we still have many patients waiting to receive mental health services in a language other than English. Expanding VTMHI’s multilingual services by recruiting more bilingual volunteers – especially Spanish-speaking providers – is among one of our top priorities right now.”
In 2024, VTMHI volunteers were able to provide teletherapy in Creole, Farsi, French, Guyanese, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish and Urdu.
“Many of our [patients whose primary language is not English], especially older patients, want to talk to a provider in their own language without using an interpreter,” said Beth Collins, a clinic medical coordinator with Guadalupe Free Clinic. “They worry things could get lost in translation. VTMHI has been able to connect patient referrals with providers who can speak [their native language], which has been a huge benefit.”
Growing the mental health workforce
In addition to mental health care for uninsured and underinsured patients, VTMHI is also focused on growing the mental health workforce.
VTMHI matches volunteer pre-licensed mental health providers in the process of completing licensure with a clinical supervisor to achieve patient contact hours while providing pro-bono services to patients.
To date, over a dozen providers who volunteered with VTMHI to meet their patient contact hour requirements have become licensed.
“VTMHI has scaled rapidly to meet the growing demand for services and is bolstering the mental health workforce by creating shorter, more robust pathways to licensure for post-graduate mental health professionals,” said Kathy H. Wibberly, PhD, director of the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center and vice president of VTMHI’s board. “By working alongside clinic staff, VTMHI addresses not only mental health but also substance use, primary care, and social drivers of health, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive, holistic support.”
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Crystal Graham
