CMS
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2022
Contact: CMS Media Relations
CMS Media Inquiries
HHS Approves
Nation’s First Medicaid Mobile Crisis Intervention Services Program, To Be
Launched in Oregon
The new
Medicaid option, created through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan,
will strengthen behavioral health care and make our communities safer by
ensuring law enforcement can focus more on accountable policing and less on
work that’s more appropriate for mental health counselors or social
workers.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS), announced approval of the Oregon Health Authority’s
proposal to cover community-based mobile crisis intervention services in
Medicaid. Made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the new
first-in-the-nation Medicaid State plan amendment will allow Oregon to
provide community-based stabilization services to individuals experiencing
mental health and/or substance use crises throughout the state by
connecting them to a behavioral health specialist 24 hours per day, every
day of the year.
The new Medicaid option became available to states in April
2022 and is part of HHS’ latest effort to deliver on President Biden’s
comprehensive national strategy to address the nation’s mental health
crisis. The option also furthers the goals of the Secretary’s National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health,
which was launched the day after the State of the Union to address the
mental health challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic, including substance use, youth mental health, and suicide.
Finally, the option advances the President’s call to action for state and local leaders
to dedicate and deploy more American Rescue Plan funding to make our
communities safer. Too often, law enforcement must serve as mental health
counselors or social workers, which takes away from their policing work. By
mobilizing mental health and substance use professionals to respond to
people experiencing mental health or substance use crises, this
intervention eases the burden on law enforcement and allows them to do the
important work of accountable policing.
Oregon is the first state to seek and
be granted approval for this new Medicaid option, and the Department
strongly encourages other states to follow Oregon’s model of expanding
access to these vital crisis care services. Helping states integrate
behavioral health services into their Medicaid programs is a critical
component of establishing a stronger and more sustainable crisis care
continuum. That is why the American Rescue Plan also provided $15 million in planning grants to help 20
state Medicaid agencies develop these programs.
“Prioritizing behavioral health
treatment by putting crisis care in reach for more Americans is critical —
in Oregon and beyond,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Addressing our
nation’s mental health crisis is a top priority of the Biden-Harris
Administration, and thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan,
Oregon can better provide its residents with the support and stabilization
services they need during times of crisis. I encourage all states to take
advantage of this opportunity and work with us to expand access to these
critical health care services.”
“I am pleased to approve Oregon’s plan
for providing vital resources to people in moments of crisis and connecting
them to the care and support needed for long-term recovery,” said CMS
Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “With this approval, Oregon will be
able to connect people to a qualified health professional as the first
point of care for someone in crisis, which ensures they get the care they
need when and where they need it.”
The new Medicaid option gives states
an opportunity to support community-based mobile crisis intervention services
for individuals with Medicaid, including those who have both a mental
health and substance use condition, such as opioid use. Mobile crisis
intervention services aim to provide individuals who are experiencing
mental health and/or substance use crises with screening and assessment;
community-based stabilization and de-escalation; and coordination with and
referrals to health, social and other services (e.g., life skills training,
education about the effects of medication), as needed, by a trained behavioral
health professional or paraprofessional. Providing immediate and
appropriate care to someone in crisis not only helps reduce the possibility
that they will harm themselves, but also helps reduce the need for costly
inpatient services.
The new Medicaid option is one of
many major actions HHS has taken in recent months to establish a stronger
and more sustainable crisis care continuum. On July 16, the U.S.
transitioned the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 — an
easy-to-remember three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. The 988 Suicide
& Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline) is a network of more than 200 state
and local call centers supported by HHS through the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 988 Lifeline, which
also links to the Veterans Crisis Line, follows a three-year joint effort
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), and the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) to put crisis care more in reach for people in need. Factual
information about 988 is included in the Substance Use and Mental Health
Administration’s (SAMHSA) online 988 FAQ page.
Since January 2021, the Biden-Harris
Administration has made unprecedented investments to support the 988
transition, investing $432 million in FY22 — an 18-fold increase over FY21
—– to scale up crisis center capacity, national back-up center capacity,
and to provide special services, including a sub-network for Spanish
language speakers — to ensure all Americans have access to help during
mental health crises. The $432 million includes $105 million in grant
funding to states and territories, provided by the American Rescue Plan, to
improve response rates, increase capacity to meet future demand, and ensure
calls initiated in states or territories are first routed to local,
regional, or state crisis call centers. Prior to this investment, the 988
Lifeline, which has existed since 2005, had been long unfunded and
under-resourced.
###
Get CMS news at cms.gov/newsroom,
sign up for CMS news via
email and follow CMS on Twitter @CMSgov
|
No comments:
Post a Comment