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Senate Finance Committee releases report on mental and behavioral health

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    Senate Finance Committee releases report on mental and behavioral health

    On March 29, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a report entitled Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action. The 36-page report was jointly authored by majority and minority committee staff, and provides a summary of issues raised during the two committee hearings held this past February on youth mental health (Part 1 and Part 2), as well as responses to the committee’s Request for Information (RFI) made last September.  

    The report highlighted many of the recommendations outlined in NACo’s response to the RFI, including:

    • Strengthening the behavioral workforce by incentivizing the recruitment, training and placement of behavioral health providers, particularly in rural areas
    • Providing resources that remove barriers and increase the use of substance use disorder (SUD) drug therapies across a variety of provider settings
    • Improving access to crisis intervention services through the expansion of evidence-based crisis intervention models like Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)

    Despite not being specifically mentioned in the report, NACo is also supportive of removing barriers to treatment and services that are caused by federal Medicaid exclusion policies like the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) and the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP), which restrict the use of Medicaid for behavioral health services provided in jails and certain inpatient settings.

    The full report can be found here. This report marks the Finance Committee’s next step in their effort to craft a bipartisan legislative package on behavioral health, which the committee intends to consider this summer. NACo will continue to work collaboratively with the committee to advance policy that will improve and increase access to mental and behavioral health services for county residents.

    Additional Resources

    • NACo Blog: NACo submits behavioral health care policy recommendations to U.S. Senate Finance Committee  
    • NACo Blog: President Biden announces strategy to address the national mental health crisis
    • NACo Blog: House introduces bipartisan bill to support implementation of national 988 suicide lifeline

    •  
    On March 29, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a report entitled, Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action.
    2022-04-05
    Blog
    2022-04-20
Senate Finance Committee releases new report on mental and behavioral health care in the United States The report highlights challenges in mental health care access to be addressed forthcoming policy

On March 29, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a report entitled Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action. The 36-page report was jointly authored by majority and minority committee staff, and provides a summary of issues raised during the two committee hearings held this past February on youth mental health (Part 1 and Part 2), as well as responses to the committee’s Request for Information (RFI) made last September.  

The report highlighted many of the recommendations outlined in NACo’s response to the RFI, including:

  • Strengthening the behavioral workforce by incentivizing the recruitment, training and placement of behavioral health providers, particularly in rural areas
  • Providing resources that remove barriers and increase the use of substance use disorder (SUD) drug therapies across a variety of provider settings
  • Improving access to crisis intervention services through the expansion of evidence-based crisis intervention models like Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)

Despite not being specifically mentioned in the report, NACo is also supportive of removing barriers to treatment and services that are caused by federal Medicaid exclusion policies like the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) and the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP), which restrict the use of Medicaid for behavioral health services provided in jails and certain inpatient settings.

The full report can be found here. This report marks the Finance Committee’s next step in their effort to craft a bipartisan legislative package on behavioral health, which the committee intends to consider this summer. NACo will continue to work collaboratively with the committee to advance policy that will improve and increase access to mental and behavioral health services for county residents.

Additional Resources

  • Basic page

    Mental Health First Aid

    Mental Health First Aid, a skills-based training administered by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges in their peers, friends and colleague
    page

    <h3><strong>WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?</strong></h3>

  • Basic page

    Healthy Counties Initiative

    Healthy Counties focuses on enhancing: public-private partnerships in local health delivery, access to, and coordination of, care for vulnerable populations in the community and community public health and behavioral health programs.
    page

    <p>NACo&rsquo;s Healthy Counties Initiative creates and sustains healthy counties by supporting collaboration and sharing evidence-informed approaches to pressing health issues.

  • Basic page

    Live Healthy U.S. Counties

    The National Association of Counties (NACo) Live Healthy Prescription, Health & Dental Discount Program is a NO-COST program available to all member counties.
    page

    <h1>With <a id="naco" name="naco">NACo</a>, Saving Feels Better</h1>

  • Reports & Toolkits

    Opioid Solutions Center

    NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
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    12
    3:30 pm
    Reports & Toolkits

    <p>NACo&#39;s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.

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