Senator Stabenow Announces New Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in Lansing, Novi and Southgate

Funding Made Possible by Stabenow’s Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Act

Friday, September 28, 2018

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow today announced that three new Michigan community mental health centers have been selected as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Community Network Services Inc. in Novi will receive $4 million, Guidance Center in Southgate will receive $3,311,952 and Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham Counties in Lansing will receive $3,784,980. Each clinic will receive this funding over the next two years to provide comprehensive behavioral health and addiction treatment services.

 

Last week, Senator Stabenow announced the selection of the first four Michigan community mental health centers in Kalamazoo, Ludington, Muskegon, and Auburn Hill.

 

Today’s announcement is a direct result of the passage of the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Act by Senator Stabenow and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) in 2014. This law is transforming the way behavioral health and addiction treatment services are delivered across the country with the establishment of new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. These clinics are required to provide a comprehensive set of services including 24/7/365 crisis services; outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment services; immediate screenings, risk assessments, and diagnoses; and care coordination including partnerships with emergency rooms, law enforcement, and veterans groups.

 

“One in five Americans lives with some type of mental illness yet fewer than half of those individuals get the treatment they need,” said Senator Stabenow. “That’s why I’ve been committed to making sure we fund mental health treatment the same way we fund other health care. Now these Michigan clinics will have the resources they need to expand community mental health and addiction services.”

 

“As a provider of mental health services to the community over the last 60 years, The Guidance Center is committed to expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder services throughout Wayne County,” said Kari D. Walker, President & CEO of The Guidance Center. “Our agency serves people who are uninsured or under-insured, and the enhanced ability through the designation of the CCBHC to reach beyond the 23,000 children and adults who are part of our programs every year is a critical benefit to our community. The ability to respond to people in urgent and emergent situations, including after normal business hours, will translate into more effective and immediate care that makes a difference in the lives of those we serve.”

 

“Over the past two years we have embraced the Certified Community Behavioral Health model and within our existing financial resources, we have worked to improve outreach efforts, increase access points for 24/hour Crisis Services, and to offer comprehensive behavioral health services in the communities we serve. We are excited about the opportunity SAMHSA funding offers to enhance these efforts and to do more to fill critical service gaps in our community. The funding will be used to expand our ability to serve those who are uninsured or underinsured and in need of ongoing specialty behavioral health services to treat Serious Mental Illness, Serious Emotional Disturbance, Substance Use Disorders, and Co-Occurring Disorders,” said Sara Lurie, CEO of Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham Counties. “Expanding access to these types of ongoing services in partnership with other community resources is vital in meeting our vision of assisting individuals and families in seeking their desired quality of life and participating in the life of the community. We are extremely grateful to SAMHSA and to Senator Stabenow for her advocacy and legislative work to support and expand access to behavioral health services here in Michigan and across the U.S.”

 

“We are so excited to hear about this additional CCBHC funding that’s going to allow us to expand treatment services to work with people who are uninsured, underinsured and underserved. We are looking forward to expanding our substance abuse services and our services for children and adolescents in both Wayne and Oakland counties,” said Michele Reid, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Community Network Services Inc. “We are especially excited to work with the other CCBHC funded organizations in the state of Michigan. Our goal is to work with them all so to make sure that seamless services are available so that hopefully in 2020 when the next round of money is available there will be more funding available for the state of Michigan. We really want to thank Sen. Stabenow for her tireless work in promoting community mental health services in Michigan and to know that we really could not be here without the efforts of her and her staff. We look forward to all the Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers in Michigan working together to expand mental health and substance abuse services to Michigan citizens.”

 

This funding comes from the Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grants program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Senator Stabenow recently secured $150 million to fund this grant program. Michigan has the most clinics of any state to receive funding through this grant program.