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Mental Health Crisis bill clears U.S. House

Ravena News-Herald, The (NY) - 7/9/2016

A bill co-authored by U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19, designed to increase the availability and quality of mental health crisis treatment, awareness and prevention, overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives Wednesday.

"Too many families lack access to treatment, including hospitalization, for conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression," Gibson said. "Sadly, this has led to an increase in violent acts and homelessness."

Gibson's bill, which passed the House by a vote of 422-2, would offer assistance to hospitals and agencies that offer mental health care to patients with serious mental illnesses.

"First, the bill will provide federal reimbursement for our hospitals to support patient care for severe mental illnesses, like psychotic episodes," Gibson said Thursday.

Federal laws and programs offer partial cost reimbursement to hospitals nationwide to help absorb the cost of many treatments and procedures hospitals provide, Gibson said.

But no program exists offering funds to offset the cost of mental health inpatient care. In the Twin Counties, Columbia Memorial Hospital is the only facility to offer inpatient mental health care, Gibson said.

"They have been providing inpatient care for psychiatric episodes, but it has been costing the hospital so much," Gibson said, noting that the volume of mental health patients at the hospital is high.

"Other hospitals don't have that care, so CMH was providing care for patients not only from our area but from places not near to here," Gibson said.

William Van Slyke, vice president of patient experience and external affairs at Columbia Memorial, said Gibson's bill would provide needed relief to the hospital.

"Less than two years ago, CMH made a historic commitment to providing mental health services by expanding both our inpatient and outpatient services," Van Slyke said. "The costs associated with those expansions were significant, but the community need was equally significant."

"Meeting the increasing demand for mental health services is a tremendous challenge that will require the full participation of federal, state and local governments, along with private insurers and care providers," he said.

Gibson said the bill would go beyond major health care providers like hospitals by making block grants available to local organizations that provide mental health counseling, assistance and care at a grassroots level.

"So much of the fight against mental illness begins in our communities, with pediatricians and local services that provide relief to families with loved ones battling mental health crises like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," Gibson said.

"By offering these organizations funding to invest in mental health awareness and prevention we can make the fight against mental illness preventative, not just responsive," he said.

Gibson said the bill would also amend existing Medicaid law, removing legal red tape which can delay or prevent a patient from receiving much-needed care.

"This will be of great help to families who are having difficulty obtaining necessary services for loved ones seeking to pay for their care through Medicaid," he said. "This can shorten the amount of time they need to wait and reduce the risk of violence in seriously mentally ill patients."

Gibson said the bill would also increase the availability of mental health services for veterans and active military service members.

"This bill builds on the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act [2015]," Gibson said. "That bill already took steps to increase awareness and prevention of suicide and other mental health concerns for veterans, and this bill goes further to sustain mental health and stave off potential major episodes of all kinds."

The bill must now pass the Senate and be signed into law by President Obama. Gibson expects that Obama will sign the bill into law this year.

"There has been overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill," Gibson said. "It passed overwhelmingly in the House and I expect it will also pass the Senate so we can put this bill on the President's desk for him to sign. I think that will happen this year."