Dive Brief:
- HHS on July 31 announced that $54.6 million will be distributed under the Affordable Care Act to help 221 community health centers in 47 states support mental-health services.
- Federal funds will help provide or expand behavioral healthcare to more than 450,000 patients.
- Over five years, community health centers will receive $11 billion in funding under the ACA.
Dive Insight:
HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement that the awards will "further reduce the barriers that too often prevent people from getting the help they need for mental health problems." She described community health centers as being on the front-lines in terms of better integrating mental health into primary care and improving access to care in general.
According to HHS, the scope of community health centers' work is significant. Currently, nearly 1,300 health centers operate 9,200-plus sites that combined care for more than 21.7 million patients in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. In 2013, health centers saw over 1.2 million behavioral health patients.
