Nearly 150 county officials sign onto NACo’s behavioral health advocacy letter to Congress

Image of GettyImages-1310976011.jpg

Key Takeaways

The National Association of Counties (NACo) led a bipartisan group of nearly 150 county elected officials in calling on Congress to pass key county priorities in an end-of-year behavioral and mental health legislative package.

In a letter to U.S. Senate and House leadership, the county officials pointed to five policies that would significantly improve local behavioral health services:

  • Amend the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP)
  • Repeal the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion
  • Fund direct and flexible grant programs to counties to support the recruitment, training and retention of a sufficient behavioral health workforce
  • Sustain federal funding to support local crisis response infrastructure through Medicaid
  • Enforce policies that ensure equal coverage of treatment for mental illness and addiction

Counties are integral to the nation’s behavioral health system, both funding and coordinating behavioral health services, including those provided in county-owned and operated community health facilities. Additionally, counties help finance and administer Medicaid services, the largest source of funding for behavioral health services in the United States. By directing resources to community-based treatment and services, we can better serve our residents with behavioral health conditions, reduce reliance on the criminal legal system and direct valuable resources towards improving stability and health.

Congress still has an opportunity to build on the success of major investments into mental health and substance use disorder over the last few years by passing additional behavioral health policies that would improve the lives of millions of Americans before the end of the year.

Click here to view the full letter and its signatories.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Related News

Man at call center
Advocacy

FCC takes critical steps to improve the 988 National Suicide Lifeline

On March 21, bipartisan congressional leaders and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced steps to improve the 988 National Suicide Lifeline. This announcement marks major progress on the nation’s crisis response, a priority for counties and a key policy pillar of the NACo Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Counseling
Press Release

Counties Applaud Action to Improve 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NACo today applauded an announcement from bipartisan congressional leaders and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel regarding steps to improve the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Nurse and older man
Advocacy

House Ways and Means Committee passes bill blocking proposed CMS nursing home minimal staffing rule

On March 5, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means marked up and reported out of committee the Protect America’s Senior’s Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513).