Mississippi receives $1 million grant for behavioral health

Mississippi is one of 15 states to receive a $1 million certified community behavioral health clinic planning grant.

These grants aim to transform mental health and substance use treatment across the country.

The funding will provide $1 million for a 12-month planning process.

The Department of Mental Health selection Region 6 – located in the Delta region – and Region 14 – The Gulf Coast region.

Both have high levels of need in their service areas.

With this grant, behavior health clinics will be able to help address several issues identified as creating gaps or barriers to care, particularly those around the cost of care, which can affect everything from someone’s willingness to seek services, operations at service providers, and workforce availability.

“So what this grant is going to do is it’s going to enhance the services already provided by the 13 regional health centers within Mississippi,” said Dean Doty. “And they provide services ranging from peer support services to out patient services mental health substance abuse services and residential crisis stabilization as well, so this will hopefully allow folks to have you know better access to service regardless of the ability to pay.”

According to the Mississippi Association of Community Mental Health Centers, the state served approximately 102,634 individuals in 2020, but each year they provide approximately $30 million in uncompensated or under compensated care.