Senator Stabenow Announces New Funding to Expand Mental Health and Addiction Services in Greater Lansing Area

LANSING — US. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced $3,366,000 in funding from the recently passed federal budget to expand mental health and addiction services provided by the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties. This funding will be used to establish a Crisis Stabilization Unit to provide short-term behavioral health services to those who need it. The unit is expected to divert people into treatment and out of jails and emergency rooms.

This funding builds on Senator Stabenow’s effort to transform the way we fund mental health and addiction treatment in America through her signature Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. There are currently 33 locations being funded in Michigan, including the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties.

“The Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties is transforming the way we deliver behavioral health services in the Greater Lansing area,” said Senator Stabenow. “This investment will help make sure no person has to sit in jail or the emergency room when what they really need is immediate mental health or addiction services.”

“Senator Stabenow has been a tireless champion of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Model and of adequately funding and sustaining behavioral health services. As a CCBHC Expansion Grantee and State CCBHC Demonstration Project Site serving the Capital Area of Michigan, we offer an array of crisis and specialty behavioral health services to the community,” said Sara Lurie, Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham CEO. “To take another important step toward better serving the needs of the community, we submitted a community project proposal to Senator Stabenow’s office for start-up of a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) for the Capital Area. Increased demand, coupled with a shortage of local and state community psychiatric hospital beds, has put a strain on our existing Crisis Services Units, on hospital emergency departments, and has added to the incarceration of individuals with serious, untreated mental health issues. Establishment of a CSU will allow us to reposition, enhance and expand the existing youth and adult Crisis Services, offering a secure environment where individuals can immediately begin treatment. We are excited and ready to accelerate our planning efforts to make this a reality for our community and grateful to Senator Stabenow for her unwavering support for the overall health and well-being of all Michigan Citizens.” 

“Michigan’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics have powerfully and dramatically improved access to mental health care in communities across the state. The funding that Senator Stabenow secured in the federal budget for these clinics is welcome news for the hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are served by that them every year,” said Robert Sheehan, Community Mental Health Association of Michigan CEO. 

“County jails all across this country have become the single largest mental health facilities. Projects like Crisis Stabilization Units will ensure the proper short term mental health care for people while looking for better long term mental health solutions,” said Scott Wrigglesworth, Ingham County Sheriff.

For years, Senator Stabenow has been leading the effort to fund health care above the neck the same way we fund health care below the neck. She authored the bipartisan Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act with Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), which was signed into law in 2014.

Senator Stabenow’s legislation accomplished two critical needs:

·         Created high-quality standards through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. These clinics are required to provide a comprehensive set of behavioral health services to anyone who walks through their door, including 24/7/365 crisis services; outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment services; immediate screenings, risk assessments, and diagnoses; and care coordination with emergency rooms, law enforcement, and veteran groups.

·         Established a nationwide initiative to permanently close the gap in funding between physical and behavioral health care. Rather than depend on grant funding, Senator Stabenow created a completely new model where Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will receive reimbursement through Medicaid for the full cost of services they provide at higher, more competitive rates than community mental health centers currently receive.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, people who receive services at Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics:

·         Had 63.2% fewer emergency department visits for behavioral health.

·         Spent 60.3% less time in jails.

·         Saw a 40.7% decrease in homelessness.

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