by Camalot Todd, Nevada Current
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $15 million in funding for states to develop or support clinics that provide crisis services 24/7 and offer mental health and substance use care to anyone regardless of their ability to pay.
Nevada was one of 10 states that received a one-year planning grant from the HHS. States are required to receive a planning grant before applying to be in the larger program which is focused on developing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC).
CCBHCs are relatively new. They were created through the bipartisan Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act in 2014 and the law allowed the full cost of services to be reimbursed through Medicaid.
“These clinics are proven to improve health outcomes while lowering costs, by delivering 24/7 mental health and substance use care to millions of Americans, no matter who they are or whether they have the ability to pay,” Biden said in a statement.
Nevada currently has eight clinics in the state.
The funding was authorized on Oct. 18. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will oversees the program.
The other nine states that received new grants were Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Pennsylvania. There are plans to expand access to these grants to all 50 states.
“Behavioral health is health. Period. There should be no distinction. This investment will bring us closer to that reality,” said Xavier Becerra, the U.S. Secretary of HHS.
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