Dr. Melton had been the DBHDS Commissioner for 15 months. Under his leadership, DBHDS has recommitted to the values of transparency, accountability, and trauma informed and evidence-based care. Dr. Melton built a leadership team at DBHDS that shares his commitment to improving outcomes for Virginians living with mental illness. Under his leadership, DBHDS has begun the process of redesigning Virginia’s mental health service system. We are confident that the leadership team he put in place will continue this crucial work.
Partner for Mental Health’s experience of Dr. Melton was of a man who, true to the values of recovery, put principles before personalities. He was more interested in solving problems than maintaining the status quo. He was quick to celebrate the successes of Virginia’s mental health service system and even quicker to shoulder responsibility where there were difficulties. He sought out and welcomed hard feedback from advocates.
Virginia has lost a leader in mental health care reform and Partner for Mental Health has lost a friend. We are committed to supporting DBHDS as they continue the systems changing work Dr. Melton helped lead.