This week, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced their new bipartisan bill, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021. The legislation will expand high-quality mental health and addiction services nationwide by giving every state the opportunity to fully fund the creation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in their communities as part of health care.Senators Stabenow and Blunt created these community clinics through the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act, which became law in 2014.
Stabenow and Blunt’s 2014 law was the biggest step forward in expanding community mental health and addiction services in decades by allowing services to be funded through the health care system instead of just grants. Ten states, including Missouri and Michigan, have been selected for full participation in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program. In addition, startup grants have expanded the number of clinics to more than 300 communities across 40 states, plus Washington D.C., and that number continues to grow. These clinics serve about 1.5 million people across the country.