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July 12, 2019Jefferson City, MO |  By: John Coffey

MO Senator Blunt urges extension of the Mental Health & Addiction Treatment Act

Missouri U.S. Senator yesterday urged Congress to extend the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act.

The bill was signed into law in 2014 and created an eight-state pilot program to help improve access to community-based mental health care. Missouri is one of the states participating in program.

Senator Blunt says the program has allowed patients to get treatment faster and closer to home and provided law enforcement with new tools to respond to people dealing with mental or behavioral health issues.
Blunt says the goal of the program is not for the federal government to take over the behavioral health costs of the country.

"The goal is for this program is to look at mental health and to keep track of 24 or 25 other health care markers and decide how much your other health care is impacted in a positive way.  And in fact, in a cost-saving way if you're dealing with mental health at the same time."

 Blunt says Congress should extend the current program through the end of this spending year, and then further review the program to consider funding it for two more years.