{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-encouraging-results-of-excellence-in-mental-health-program", "Blunt Highlights Encouraging Results of Excellence in Mental Health Program", "2020-12-01", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) welcomed a\r\nnew report from the Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare\r\nwhich found that Missouri Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics\r\n(CCBHCs) have significantly expanded access to and improved the quality of mental\r\nhealth services. CCBHCs were established in Blunt and U.S. Senator Debbie\r\nStabenow's (Mich.) 2014 Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment\r\nAct, which put community mental health centers on an equal footing with other\r\nhealth centers by improving quality standards and offering patients increased\r\nservices.  According to the report, CCBHCs in Missouri increased\r\npatient access to care by 23% and served nearly 3,000 veterans over the last\r\nthree years. Over the same period, CCBHCs also reduced hospitalizations by 20%\r\nand ER visits by 36%. Over the last three years we've seen incredible progress in\r\nimproving and expanding mental health services in our state, said Blunt.\r\nNearly one in five Americans has a diagnosable, and almost always treatable,\r\nmental health issue, but many are unable to get the help they need. The\r\ncoronavirus pandemic has created even more challenges, with substance abuse on\r\nthe rise and more Americans struggling with issues like anxiety, grief, and\r\ndepression. This report is encouraging, but it is more important than ever to\r\nmake mental and behavioral health services available to more Americans. I have\r\nworked with Senator Stabenow to extend and expand the Excellence in Mental\r\nHealth program to build on the progress that's been made, and it will continue\r\nto be a priority. Missouri was among the original eight states selected to\r\nparticipate in the Excellence in Mental Health demonstration program. In March,\r\nBlunt announced that the CARES Act expanded the program to two additional states\r\nand continued funding for CCBHCs in Missouri. CCBHCs provide a wide range of services, including 24/7/365\r\ncrisis services, screenings, risk assessments, and diagnoses. They provide\r\noutpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment services, as well as\r\ncoordination of care and partnerships with emergency rooms, law enforcement,\r\nand veterans groups. At a press conference earlier this year, Blunt highlighted a\r\nreport released by the National Council for Behavioral Health, which found that\r\n78% of CCBHCs can offer an appointment within a week or less. Blunt also shared\r\nexamples of how the Excellence program in Missouri is aiding law enforcement\r\nand helping people get mental health and addiction services faster and closer\r\nto home.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-encouraging-results-of-excellence-in-mental-health-program"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6852766275405884, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}