FUNDING

Policy and budgeting can affect the amount of care that is available to any individual. National, state and local governments have a certain amount of money that they can allocate to different programs, often leading to a lack of funding for mental health programs.

“Federal and state funding, it's a mile wide, because it has to cover everybody,” Steve Kossor, licensed psychologist and CEO of the Institute for Behavior Change said. “If we only have a limited amount of money, we have to stretch it as thin as possible to cover everybody.”
Government programs and departments such as The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health provide funding for individuals experiencing mental health conditions. The programs receiving funding include include mental health first aid, research and help for children and families.

Proposed budget cuts would lessen the amount of individuals that would be able to be helped by these types of programs. Proposed budget cuts include $5.8 billion dollars from the National Institutes of Health.

“Public policy has a direct effect on access to services and on how many people we can serve, how we serve them, how we get reimbursed, and then that turns into the quality and quantity of the services we can provide to the people that come through our door,” Dr. Bill Vogler, Executive Director of Pinebrook Family Answers said.

Written by: Laura Sansom