Pilot program to increase access to mental health services

Minnesota’s mental health system can be difficult to navigate. A person in search of treatment may have to contact several different agencies to find the right level of care and access to services is inconsistent across the state.

In addition, substance abuse and mental health treatment are seldom offered through the same agencies or in the same place, said Claire Wilson, assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Community Supports Administration.

But Minnesota is one of eight states selected to participate in a two-year pilot program testing a possible solution, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Wilson told the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee in an update Tuesday. No action was taken.

The program will set up a statewide network of community-based mental health clinics intended to act as a “one-stop shop” for mental health treatment and be able to provide a wide range of services.

WATCH Full video of Tuesday's meeting of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee 

Participating clinics were certified in October 2016 and are scheduled to begin providing service in July and will run through June 2019. During that two-year period, federal funding will help support the increased services at six clinics throughout the state.

The federal funds— made available in 2014 through the Excellence in Mental Health Act — will cover 65 percent of Medicaid costs incurred while the state will cover 35 percent. Usually, the state and federal governments would evenly split the costs, Wilson said.

“This will be a chance for us to really look at how this works and see if this coordinated way of providing care has a positive impact on the communities we service,” she said.

Participating clinics include Northwestern Mental Health Center in northwestern Minnesota; Northern Pines Mental Health Center in central Minnesota; People Incorporated, Ramsey County Mental Health Center, and the Wilder Children and Family Services in the metro area; and Zumbro Valley Mental Health Center in southeastern Minnesota.

The services offered will include screening, primary care, substance abuse treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, and family support.

“These clinics have been, and are, the center for providing this care for this population for a long time,” Wilson said. “These are really the clinics that have innovated and learned from … treating this population.”