Improving Mental Health Care

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Following the tragic mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, Congress is working to improve the mental health care system.
• The COVID-19 pandemic also greatly affected people’s mental health, with four in 10 adults saying they experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition during the pandemic.
• The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes funding for certified community behavioral health clinics, which provide round-the-clock access to mental health crisis response, substance abuse treatment, and other services.  

Following the tragic shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, Congress is focused on finding ways to prevent these types of tragedies and improving America’s mental health care system. The COVID-19 pandemic has also taken a toll on people’s mental health. According to a June 2020 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41% of adults in the U.S. said they had at least one symptom of a mental health condition, and 11% said they had seriously considered suicide in the previous month. Younger adults have been affected significantly more than older people. Legislation has been proposed in the Senate to expand community behavioral health clinics, which offer round-the-clock care and access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Mental Health Care Coordination Gets Results

Mental Health care in America

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act would expand a demonstration program created by Senators Blunt and Stabenow. The program, which is the result of the Excellence in Mental Health Act that was signed into law in 2014, created certified community behavioral health clinics and was originally enacted as a two year demonstration in eight states. Nine states are currently participating in the demonstration program.

These clinics offer crisis services, including immediate screenings, risk assessments, and diagnoses. The idea is that people in need can go to a CCBHC to get coordinated care instead of going to the emergency room, which may not be equipped to address mental health needs. By increasing the number of qualified workers who can provide care, these clinics fill a critical gap. It is estimated that currently the behavioral health care workforce is only able to meet approximately 25% of the needed services; the shortfall is even greater in rural areas.

CCBHCs participating in the program have reported decreases in ER visits and inpatient stays paid for by Medicare and Medicaid. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, people who received care at a CCBHC for six months or more had 63.2% fewer ER visits for behavioral health issues last year. People getting coordinated behavioral health care also had a 40.7% decrease in homelessness and a 60.3% decrease in time spent in jail.

CCBHC facilities may also operate in states that are not participating in the demonstration program by using grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, though they do not get the full spectrum of benefits. According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, there are now more than 430 CCBHCs and similar facilities open in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.   

Congressional action

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act also includes additional investments in mental health in the hope that a more comprehensive and approachable mental health delivery system in the country may help prevent acts of violence. The bill provides supplemental funding for school-based mental health and safety, including mental health services; funding for primary care training; the mental health block grant; and suicide prevention programs. Each year, one in five people experiences a mental health condition that is diagnosable and almost always treatable, and these conditions should be attended to with the same regard physical ailments receive. The majority of people experiencing a mental health problem are not a danger to society, and they are more likely to be a victim of a crime than a perpetrator. The bipartisan legislation would expand the CCBHC model nationally to help more people get care. There is a crucial need to coordinate patients’ care and to make the mental health system more accessible so that people are not afraid to use it.