WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, (both D-VA) announced $3,517,754 in federal funding to support behavioral health across Virginia.
The funding will help expand mental health and substance use disorder services at community health centers, which are often a primary source of care for individuals who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicaid. It was awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Behavioral Health Service Expansion program.
“Behavioral health care is a critical part of caring for our communities, and we need to do more to expand access to this support,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will help community health centers across Virginia reach more Virginians and provide them with the behavioral health services they need.”
The funding is allocated as follows: $600,000 each to New Horizons Healthcare in Roanoke, Neighborhood Health in Alexandria, Rockbridge Area Health Center in Lexington and Southwest Community Health in Saltville. Tri-Area Community Health in Laurel Fork received $599,996 and $517,758 for Daily Planet Inc. in Richmond.
Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to expand and support behavioral health across the Commonwealth. Last year, Warner and Kaine announced nearly $1.4 million in federal funding made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act they helped pass to expand access to mental health care in Virginia. Warner and Kaine also introduced the CONNECT for Health Act, which would expand coverage of telehealth services, including mental health treatment and treatment for substance use disorders.
Earlier this year, Kaine’s bipartisan legislation to reauthorize his Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to help reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals passed out of the Senate HELP Committee. The law has already provided $100 million in funding for mental health care for providers across the country, including $5.6 million in federal funding for Virginia providers.
