Senator announces full funding for 17 more clinics to expand mental health and substance use disorder services across Michigan

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow on Thursday announced that 17 additional clinics in Michigan will now be a part of her transformational mental health initiative that fully funds their services through Medicaid. These clinics in Michigan have been serving their communities, many funded by grants, and will now receive full funding through Medicaid, which allows them to improve their service to people in Michigan.

“Because of the hard work of so many of our community partners, our mental health care and addiction initiative is a proven success story,” said Stabenow. “In Michigan and across our country, we are finally transforming the way we deliver high-quality services in our communities, and the results are clear. Now more people who are struggling with mental health issues or substance use disorders will get the treatment they need close to home.”

Last year, Stabenow led the passage of the transformational initiative to fully fund high-quality mental health and substance use disorder services through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, a program implemented and supported by SAMHSA. Due to the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, every state and the District of Columbia can expand behavioral health support to their residents. Michigan began participating in Stabenow’s behavioral health initiative in 2021.

These Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are transforming community care by setting high-quality standards of care and then funding mental health and substance use disorder services as health care through Medicaid. This is the same successful structure used for federally qualified health centers.

In order to receive enhanced Medicaid funding, the clinics are required to provide crisis services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use disorder, regardless of their ability to pay. Other high-quality services are required as well, including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment services; immediate screenings, risk assessments, and diagnoses; and care coordination including partnerships with emergency rooms, law enforcement, and veterans’ groups.

The 17 clinics include:

• Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, Dearborn

• Barry County CMH Authority, Hastings

• CNS Healthcare, Wayne County

• Community Mental Health of Ottawa County, Ottawa County

• Network180, Grand Rapids

• OnPoint, Allegan County

• Pines Behavioral Health Services

• Genesee Health System, Flint

• Lapeer County Community Mental Health Services, Lapeer

• Southwest Solutions, Detroit

• Sanilac Community Mental Health Authority, Sanilac

• Elmhurst Home, Detroit

• LifeWays, Jackson/Hillsdale

• Riverwood Center, Berrien

• Development Centers Inc., Detroit

• Monroe Community Mental Health Authority, Monroe  

• Summit Pointe, Calhoun County

The Department of Health and Human Services found that people who receive care at these clinics had:

• 74% reduction in hospitalization

• 68% reduction in visits to the emergency room

• 33% decrease in homelessness

Also, 84% of these clinics either already provide direct services on site at elementary, middle, and high schools or plan to in the future.