More than half of the $850 million that U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) helped secure for the national Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grants program in COVID-19 relief legislation signed into law last year will be used to expand behavioral health services across the country to meet the growing need for mental health and addiction services during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
“Our nation is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. More than half of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health. There has been a double digit increase in the number of people reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression. Drug overdoses are surging,” Sen. Blunt said. “The funding announced today will expand access to care and provide additional support to centers in Missouri and states across the nation.”
Sen. Blunt and his colleague U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced on Friday that 134 community behavioral health organizations have been selected as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) and will receive a total of $489 million in federal funding over the next two years.
“CCBHCs are a critical part of the mental health response to the pandemic,” said Sen. Blunt on Feb. 5. “Since Senator Stabenow and I worked together to establish CCBHCs through the Excellence in Mental Health Act, these clinics have proven successful in getting people comprehensive mental health and addiction services sooner and closer to home.”
In fact, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health, CCBHCs are increasing access to high-quality mental health and addiction treatment. For example, in the first year of operations, 93 percent of CCBHCs provided staff training in suicide prevention and response; 87 percent reported an increased number of patients served; and 94 percent reported an increase in the number of patients treated for addiction, according to a 2020 report released by the council.