State Announces More Than $76 Million In New Funding For Crisis Response And Substance Use Disorder Services

Community mental health centers, local governments among those receiving funding.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction ­is providing new funding to help build and support projects across Indiana to improve mental health and recovery services for Hoosiers. This includes funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and the National Opioid Settlement, and totals more than $76 million.

DMHA is working with local units of government to promote innovative, community-driven responses to address substance use disorder issues, alongside grants to strengthen Indiana’s “no wrong door” approach to crisis care.

As part of the National Opioid Settlement, DMHA, in partnership with the Office of Governor Eric J. Holcomb, is awarding a total of $19 million in one-time funding to support evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction services, expand the behavioral health workforce and implement other services and initiatives across the state, to 30 local units of government, service providers, and community organizations.

“While the state has a role to play in the fight against the drug epidemic, real change happens at the local level”, said Douglas Huntsinger, executive director for drug prevention, treatment and enforcement for the State of Indiana. “Any time we have an opportunity to infuse more dollars into a community for the benefit of Hoosiers, we take advantage of it. These funds will go a long way toward building out the care continuum and improving outcomes for Hoosiers with substance use disorders and mental health needs.”

The State of Indiana is receiving approximately $507 million over an 18-year period as part of the National Opioid Settlement with distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen and manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its parent company Johnson & Johnson. DMHA has developed a framework for how the State plans to use its appropriation for abatement purposes. Plans for spending the remaining funds can be found here.

DMHA received 78 proposals requesting a total of $93 million in response to the grant. Local units of government were required to provide match funds in order to qualify for funding. The services funded by these grants will reach Hoosiers in at least 28 counties.

Grant recipients include:

City of Shelbyville, to provide funding for uninsured mothers and first responders to access treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health needs, and to support transition services for incarcerated individuals upon release from jail.

Warren County Circuit Court, to provide reliable transportation to places of employment, SUD and mental health treatment, court, and other services, and to provide substance use education to adolescents, prescribers, service providers, and stakeholders to promote prevention and harm reduction.

A full list of Opioid Settlement Match Grant recipients can be found here.

Additionally, 15 community mental health centers across the state are receiving $57 million in Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Services grants. These grants will support the advancement of an integrated crisis response system that provides Hoosiers experiencing a mental health and/or substance use crisis someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place for help. Crisis receiving and stabilization services function as part of the safe place for help pillar in Indiana’s Crisis Response Network and are an essential part in ensuring that all Hoosiers have a safe place to accept support and stabilize, regardless of clinical condition, in accordance with SAMHSA Best Practices.

“Crisis receiving and stabilization services are critical to providing crisis services,” said Jay Chaudhary, director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. “Currently, too many Hoosiers experiencing a mental health crisis end up in emergency departments or county jails. These grants will help bridge gaps and offer a therapeutic and compassionate alternative pathway for individuals and communities in crisis.”

Grant recipients include:

Centerstone of Indiana, Inc., to establish a new sub-acute Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Services Program at the Bartholomew Stride Center in Columbus and expand an existing sub-acute Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Services Program at the Monroe Stride Center in Bloomington.

Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, to expand and enhance an existing sub-acute Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Services Program and pilot a person-centered, trauma-informed Violence Assessment Tool for potential use across the 988 system.