Missouri is among 20 states that are to receive federal pandemic recovery money to support community-based mobile crisis intervention services planning.
Mobile crisis intervention provides mobile, community-based crisis intervention services with on-site, face-to-face responses to people experiencing behavioral health crises. Staff in the mobile units can assess and treat patients, and can stabilize the situation, thus reducing the risk of danger to patients or people they contact.
The services are intended to reduce the volume of behavioral health services provided in hospital emergency rooms, free up law enforcement personnel and prevent unnecessary incarcerations.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded $15 million in planning grants to 20 states Monday. The grants, funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), provide financial resources for state Medicaid agencies to assess community needs and develop programs to bring crisis intervention services directly to individuals who are experiencing substance use-related or mental health crises outside a hospital or facility setting, according to a CMS news release. These grants are to help states integrate community-based mobile crisis intervention services into their Medicaid programs, a critical component of establishing a sustainable and public health-focused crisis support network.
Grant funds can be used to: support states' assessments of their current services; strengthen capacity and information systems; ensure that services can be accessed 24 hours a day, every day of the year; provide behavioral health care training for multi-disciplinary teams; or seek technical assistance to develop State Plan Amendments, demonstration applications and waiver program requests under the Medicaid program.
On April 1, 2022, all states will be eligible for a temporarily enhanced matching rate for implementing a qualified community-based mobile crisis intervention option in their Medicaid programs.
The performance grants are to be used from Sept. 30 through Sept. 29, 2022.
Behavioral health has been a focus of health care providers and nonprofits in Missouri for several years. Health assessments, mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and conducted throughout Missouri, have consistently shown that behavioral health is among the chief health concerns across the state.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the state Legislature included $30 million in the 2021-22 budget for programs aimed at behavioral health crisis solutions.
The budget sets aside $15 million to establish six new crisis stabilization centers across the state (one in Jefferson City) and to support five existing centers (such as the Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center, Springfield's Burrell Behavioral Crisis Center or Joplin's Ozark Center).
The budget also includes $8.3 million to expand the Behavioral Healthcare Home Program, which integrates primary and behavioral health care for adults. It includes $5.3 million for 50 additional Community Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Liaisons. Liaisons are behavioral health professionals who work with clients who have frequent interactions with law enforcement and courts. There were 31 liaisons in Missouri when the budget passed, each assigned to regions of the state.
Liaisons ask their clients to contact them before police if they have an issue. Their focus is to direct people with behavioral health issues toward services they need - and away from the justice system.
Jefferson City's center is expected to begin operation by the end of 2021. (It is an adult center. The state funding does not include centers for juveniles.) Compass Health Network will operate the center. It will also operate one in Rolla.
The centers are 23-hour sites intended to break people undergoing crisis away from jails or expensive hospital emergency room visits. Diverted to the centers, patients may receive a meal, hygiene products, showers and other services. And they receive a mental health assessment and any treatment or medications they may need.
The center will include four "slots." Administrators emphasize that the slots are to be recliners, where a client may sleep if he or she needs to, but stays are limited to 23 hours.
Jefferson City's center will include one private room, where people can go if they are louder or if they are struggling and wish to not be around other people.