Mental‑health officials: funding limits leave gaps in school liaisons; lawmakers press on psychotropic drugs and data collection

NASHVILLE — Officials from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services told the Senate Government Operations Committee that state funding supports a little more than 400 school‑based behavioral health liaisons but that roughly 1,800 schools remain without a liaison, prompting calls from senators for expanded access and alternative therapies.

During testimony on Senate Bill 65 — an extension for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services — Commissioner Williams summarized the department’s positive comptroller audit and staffing, and Deputy Commissioner Matt Yancey described the department’s school‑based initiatives. “As soon as we heard about that shooting, Deputy Commissioner Yancey reached out to see if we had a school based behavioral health liaison in that school. We did not,” Yancey said. “The funding we have only allows us to have a little bit over 400 liaisons. We're asking for more funding.”

Yancey told senators the department is pursuing a “school based behavioral health liaison in every school” goal, and that the state maintains crisis programs and crisis stabilization units (CSUs) for children, with a CSU planned for Nashville and others in Memphis and Knoxville.

Lawmakers pressed on medical treatment and alternatives

Senator Charlene Oliver, whose district includes the Antioch area where a recent high‑school shooting occurred, asked officials to list programs available to parents, teachers and districts. Yancey and Commissioner Williams described liaisons, a “safety net” for uninsured children that includes assessment, medication management and intensive case management, and statewide crisis programs.

Senator Raumond Bowman (transcript: Bowman) raised concerns about reliance on psychotropic drugs for children, arguing that behavioral approaches and increased outdoor activity could reduce medication use. “Almost all the mass shooters had been on some sort of psychotropic drug,” Bowman said during the meeting. Bowman urged the department to prioritize non‑pharmacological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and wraparound services.

Senator Janice Bolling (transcript: Bolling) said she plans to file legislation this year to require toxicology testing in mass‑shooting investigations to document presence of prescription and other drugs. Bolling described plans to send data to the University of Tennessee and to consult medical prescribers; she said testing would include psychotropic drugs and “gender changing drugs” as described in the hearing record.

Agency response on treatment pathways

Commissioner Williams and Yancey emphasized that the state’s provider network receives training and that TennCare and other payers shape incentives for treatment. “When you're looking at that, what's important is to drill down who's covering that child and what are they incenting,” Williams said. Yancey added that the department promotes wraparound supports and cognitive behavioral therapy where appropriate and works with TennCare and private insurers to expand nonmedication treatments.

Ending — open questions and funding needs

Committee members thanked the department for the audit outcome and for ongoing efforts; several senators said they will press for more school‑based liaisons and funding. The committee advanced SB65 to the Senate calendar; department officials said they will continue to press for additional funding in the governor’s budget to expand liaison coverage and crisis services.