Bill prioritizing mental health services clears Indiana Senate

A bill to bolster access to mental health services in Indiana has cleared the state Senate.

Senate Bill 1 passed unanimously out of that chamber. The bill addresses several mental health needs, including a requirement the state Division of Mental Health and Addiction create a tollfree helpline to offer confidential assistance and referrals to callers. It also calls for an expansion of mental health clinics across the state.

The bill also requires the Family and Social Services Secretary to seek federal approval for either a Medicaid plan amendment to require reimbursement for services performed by certified behavioral health clinics or for participation in a community demonstration program.

State Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, sponsored the bill and called Monday’s vote a “historic” one.

“Senate Bill 1 is the largest piece of mental health legislation to come before the Senate in my 25 years in the General Assembly,” he said.

According to research from the Richard M. Fairbanks

School of Public Health at IUPUI, more than 1-in-5 Hoosiers face mental health issues yearly, and the cost for untreated conditions surpasses $4 billion.

The Republican-led Senate isn’t the only one that sees improving access to mental health services as a priority. Gov. Eric Holcomb, also a Republican, has included that in his Next Level Agenda for the next two years.

Holcomb has called for developing mobile crisis teams to ensure mental health crisis calls coverage. He also wants clinics established to help increase access to care and reduce the strain placed on the state’s psychiatric hospitals.

SB 1 now moves to the state House for its consideration.