MENTAL HEALTH & SUBSTANCE USE
TAC authors contributed to two working papers on care integration and inpatient bed use for a series produced by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors:
- The Role of Permanent Supportive Housing in Determining Psychiatric Inpatient Bed Capacity
- The Role State Mental Health Authorities Can Play in the Delivery of Integrated Primary & Behavioral Health Care for People with Serious Mental Illness, including those with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders
TAC's Mental Health & Substance Use Work
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Mental Health & Substance Use
Research and practice in the field have demonstrated that treatment is effective and people can and do recover from mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Further, attending to an individual's behavioral health service needs can improve health status and reduce the costs associated with care.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the federal agency charged with reducing the impact of mental illness and substance abuse and advancing the nation’s behavioral health. SAMHSA’s FY2019 - FY2023 Strategic Plan outlines core principles that support the adoption of evidence-based practices and access to a comprehensive continuum of mental health and substance use disorder services, along with priority goals and objectives related to combating the opioid epidemic, and advancing prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for mental and substance use disorders.
The 21st Century Cures Act established the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) to address the needs of adults with serious mental illness and children and youth with serious emotional disturbance and their families. In December 2017, ISMICC’s first report to Congress provided recommendations for coordinating federal efforts to develop a comprehensive and effective continuum of care and access to strong community-based supports including housing.
Provisions in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act created opportunities to improve opioid use disorder prevention and treatment, and expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to address the nation’s opioid crisis.
While a myriad of public and private resources are used to finance behavioral health services in the U.S., Medicaid is currently the largest fund source. State Medicaid programs across the country have undertaken significant changes to their service delivery and payment systems since passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has affected behavioral health care in many states through expansion of Medicaid eligibility, movement from fee-for-service to managed care systems, and better integration of physical and behavioral health care for people with chronic conditions.
TAC Resources on Mental Health & Substance Use:
- State Approaches to Developing the Residential Treatment Continuum for Substance Use Disorders
- State Strategies to Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment
- Using Medicaid to Finance and Deliver Services in Supportive Housing: Challenges and Opportunities for Community Behavioral Health Organizations and Behavioral Health Authorities
- Olmstead at 20: Using the Vision of Olmstead to Decriminalize Mental Illness
