Blunt announces Missouri’s selection to take part in community behavioral health demonstration program

Missouri was one of eight states selected to participate in a demonstration program that aims to expand access to community mental health services and improve quality of care, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) recently announced.

Blunt’s Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was signed into law in 2014, led to the creation of the first-of-its-kind demonstration program.

“Nearly one in four Americans has a mental or behavioral health issue that is both diagnosable and treatable, but only a fraction receive the help they need,” Blunt said.

“This demonstration program will help bridge that gap by expanding and improving access to quality mental and behavioral health care across our state. I was proud to get the Excellence in Mental Health Act signed into law, and I’m glad to see our state continue leading the nation in developing solutions to bring mental and behavioral health care in line with the way other illnesses are treated,” he said.

Blunt and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the bipartisan legislation in 2013 with the goal of making certified community behavioral health providers comparable to other health centers by improving quality standards and expanding access.

In 2015, 24 states were awarded planning grants to support work with community mental health centers, federally qualified health centers, Department of Veterans Affairs clinics and other mental health organizations to design a state program meeting requirements of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers. Eight states were then selected to participate in the demonstration program.