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Mental Health Department seeks beds, crisis centers and trauma program funding after years of cuts
Summary
Commissioner Kim Boswell proposed multi-year rebuilding of Alabama's mental-health infrastructure, seeking funding for civil commitment beds, crisis centers, stabilized rates for community providers, school-based services and a trauma-systems pilot for children.
Commissioner Kim Boswell of the Department of Mental Health told the Joint Interim Committees the department aims to rebuild the state mental-health infrastructure over five years, asking for funding to raise civil commitment beds, establish crisis services statewide and increase community-provider rates.
"We need to increase civil commitment beds to 30 per 100,000 Alabama residents," Commissioner Boswell said, citing a Treatment Advocacy Center report that found 30 beds per 100,000 as a minimum and 50 per 100,000 as an optimal level. She added Alabama currently stands at about 13.4 beds per 100,000.
Why it matters: Commissioners and county officials told the panel that Alabama’s shortfall of inpatient and crisis resources contributes to jails and emergency departments becoming default crisis settings. Boswell said rebuilding capacity is required to reduce avoidable…
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