Mass Prioritizes Behavioral Health with More Funding

From the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH)
The leadership, hard work, and strong commitment of Senate President Karen E. Spilka, Senate Committee on Ways and Means (SWM) Chair Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues, SWM Vice Chair Sen. Cindy F. Friedman, SWM Assistant Vice Chair Sen. Joanne M. Comerford, and all their staff have resulted in much needed increases in funding for key behavioral health programs and initiatives.

“I’m very pleased that my Senate colleagues recognized the need to increase behavioral health services in several key areas. These vital services were extremely impacted by the pandemic and we felt it was necessary to bring delivery of these critical services back up to speed. I’d like to commend Senate President Spilka for her strong commitment to providing a strong social service safety net supporting mental health and combating substance use in the Commonwealth,” said Chair Rodrigues.

The Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Senate budget includes a $15M increase over FY23 for the Department of Mental Health (DMH) Adult Emergency Room (ER) Diversion Initiative, which funds mobile and site-based providers who serve adults experiencing a mental health crisis. For years, ER boarding has been a major concern in the Commonwealth which has been further exacerbated by workforce shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded at $19M in the FY24 Senate budget, this particular program allowed 1,225 adults to receive services in the community between July 1, 2022 and February 10, 2023, instead of being boarded in the ER.


To continue reading, go to: mamh.org/fy'24