Virginia is leading transformative health initiatives to improve care and support for individuals and families. Under Governor Youngkin’s leadership, we’re expanding behavioral health services, preventing substance use, strengthening youth mental health, improving maternal care, growing the healthcare workforce, enhancing accessibility, and modernizing long-term care.
Initiatives
Right Help, Right Now
It Only Takes One
Spearheaded by First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, It Only Takes One raises awareness about fentanyl’s dangers by equipping parents, caregivers, and youth with tools to prevent accidental overdoses and spark life-saving conversations across Virginia communities.
Reclaiming Childhood
Virginia is prioritizing youth mental health by addressing social media harms and promoting healthier screen habits. The initiative encourages families to pledge to reduce screen time by 25% and support open conversations at home and in schools.
Safe Kids, Strong Families
This statewide initiative strengthens Virginia’s child welfare system by expanding kinship care, empowering foster youth, reducing congregate care, addressing workforce gaps, and creating lasting stability for families and children.
Maternal Health
Governor Youngkin’s maternal health plan aims to reduce preventable deaths, improve access to prenatal and postpartum care, and close equity gaps by working with healthcare providers, community groups, and families statewide.
Healthcare Workforce
To meet growing care demands, Virginia is expanding its healthcare workforce by increasing training, easing entry into the field, and offering incentives to recruit and retain nurses, behavioral health workers, and other professionals.
Language and Disability Access
Virginia is ensuring individuals with limited English proficiency or disabilities can access health services by improving agency communication, translation, and support—removing barriers to care across the Commonwealth.
Long-Term Care
Virginia is modernizing long-term care oversight to protect vulnerable residents by raising provider standards, updating regulations, and giving the health commissioner stronger authority to ensure safe, high-quality care.