Funding for mental health services discussed Tuesday evening at NAMI board meeting

Funding for mental health services could be compromised depending on what happens with health care, state funding and Medicaid. Things are up in the air and Les McCaslin, CEO of the Four County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, was not afraid to say that to the Four County National Alliance on Mental Illness board Tuesday evening. According to McCaslin, there’s never been a time he has known less. This, McCaslin said, is in part because no one knows what will happen with various health care laws and what, if anything, will replace them. For example, he said one possible change involves going to a Medicaid block grant system. Overall, what happens to the state Medicaid expansion is what will have the largest impact locally for NAMI. At the Bryan Health Center, McCaslin said, there were 1,200 mental health visits and 2,269 substance abuse visits since the Medicaid expansion.