Legal Aid of WV’s Behavioral Health Advocacy (BHA) unit focuses on support for West Virginians with mental and behavioral health disorders. Our adult advocacy is broken into two distinct areas: community support for individuals in their everyday life and advocacy for residents of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman and William R. Sharpe Jr. hospitals.

The work of both our community and facility adult advocates includes:

• Education and training for consumers, West Virginia’s psychiatric hospital staff, and other behavioral health professionals.
• Investigation of complaints and grievances by individuals in the State’s two mental and behavioral health inpatient facilities.
• Referral and community linkage for individuals and their families facing challenges from mental or behavioral health or substance abuse.
• Establishment of community support for those with mental and behavioral disorders, such as housing and benefits.

Please note: We do not do hospital intakes or referrals for state facilities. You must contact the facilities directly. Our advocacy services are performed on-site and do not require an application with Legal Aid of WV.