COPY OF EMAIL FROM: Mental Health America of Indiana | 1431 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
ACTION ALERT!
Urge your Senator to restore Mental Health Funding in Appropriations!
Budget Bill to cut Recovery Works funding by $10M and the total Mental Health and Addiction appropriation by over $26M for the biennium!
House Bill 1001 (the State Budget Bill) was considered in Senate Appropriations and as drafted would cut funding for Mental Health and Addiction by $26M for the biennium–including a cut to Recovery Works by $10M for the biennium.
The Appropriations Committee will meet again next Thursday, April 8th, with the opportunity to amend the Budget language. The Senate must hear from mental health and addiction providers, advocates, and consumers THIS WEEK to amend the budget bill to fully restore $26M cuts to mental health and addiction.
At a time when behavioral health resources are needed now more than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this makes absolutely no sense! According to Mental Health America of Indiana, depression, anxiety, alcoholism, drug overdose and suicide are all on the rise due to COVID-19. This reduction will undoubtedly lead to greater financial and human costs–due to an expected increase in hospitalizations, incarcerations and recidivism rates.
Across the United States and Indiana specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for mental health services and the statistics show that there has been an increase in alcohol and drug use through the health emergency.
The Budget Bill coming from the House as currently constructed would have a dramatic negative impact on the ability of mental health and addiction providers in meeting this increasing demand for services. State funding for mental health and addiction is critically important to ensure that the delivery of services is provided to those most in need. When such services are not available or accessible, there is a corresponding reduction in overall health and well-being, resulting in increased costs under Medicaid due to increased utilization, as well as unnecessary hospitalizations and increased homeliness–all factors in leading to increased societal costs.
The Administration has gone on record in support of full restoration of the cuts to the Division of Mental Health and Addiction to their Fiscal Year 2021 levels, assuming that the revenue forecast does in fact grow as we now expect.
Mental Health America of Indiana strongly supports the Administration’s position to restore the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) appropriations to previous budget levels. Unfortunately, HB 1001 as it comes from the House, does not yet restore the $26M in funding cuts for the biennium for mental health and addictions.
Please ask your Senator to FULLY RESTORE the $26M funding cuts for mental health and addiction services, including Recovery Works, in HB 1001, the Budget Bill.
Thank you!
ACTION ALERT:
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR TO SUPPORT TO RESTORE FUNDING TO MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION IN THE STATE BUDGET HERE.
To read more about the proposed state budget bill, please read below:
House Bill 1001: STATE BUDGET – Appropriates money for capital expenditures, the operation of the state, K-12 and higher education, the delivery of Medicaid and other services, and various other distributions and purposes. Replaces the governor with the budget director or the budget director’s designee on the state board of finance. Renames the personal services/fringe benefits contingency fund as the budget agency contingency fund (fund).