State Lawmakers Must Act Fast to Leverage Federal Dollars Toward Skyrocketing Demand for BHS
As the demand for mental health and substance use disorder treatment has increased considerably since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s crucial that Florida lawmakers fully invest in mobile response teams (MRTs), which provide 24/7, on-demand behavioral crisis intervention services in homes, schools, emergency departments, and other settings.
A new Florida Policy Institute (FPI) analysis makes the case for using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to supplement current state and local funding for MRTs, which would temporarily boost Florida’s Medicaid match rate and allow the state to draw down millions in additional federal dollars. These funds are available starting April 2022.
