Right Help, Right Now

presented by:

James Williams, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources

The current behavioral health system is being overwhelmed and failing to meet the needs of Virginians in crisis with an outdated model of care that relies too heavily on hospitals.

Right Help, Right Now is a six-pillared approach to address our behavioral health challenges, encompassing crisis care, law enforcement burden, substance use disorder support, behavioral health workforce and service delivery innovation.

James Hunter Williams was appointed Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources by Governor Younkin. Prior to his appointment he served as Special Assistant to the President at the White House Domestic Policy Council developing and coordinating health policy. He also served on the Council of Economic Advisors as an economist advising on health and regulatory affairs. He began his career as an economic consultant at the Lewin Group and as a Research Fellow with the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research. James holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Virginia, and they bachelor’s degree in economics from Gordon College, Massachusetts. He resides in Richmond with his wife, Lindsay, and newborn daughter, Virginia.