Governor Ivey Announces the Fourth Mental Health Crisis Center
The Alabama Department of Mental Health Continues Expansion of Crisis Care
MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey and Commissioner Kimberly Boswell of the Alabama Department of Mental Health are proud to announce the awardee of a fourth crisis center, a vital addition to the Alabama Crisis System of Care. The center will serve individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, expanding access to care more broadly than ever before. The provider and location of the fiscal year 2022 Crisis Center is Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair (JBS) Mental Health Authority in Birmingham.
“The Ivey Administration is fully committed to addressing the very real challenges in the area of mental health care. This is critical, and should not be overlooked, which is why it remains of high importance in my agenda,” said Governor Ivey. “I am proud to award the JBS Mental Health Authority this fourth crisis center in Birmingham. These centers will go a long way in improving mental health care in Alabama.”
The current Crisis Centers are located at AltaPointe Health in Mobile, WellStone in Huntsville, and the Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority in Montgomery. The state’s first three Crisis Centers were awarded funding in October 2020 and have been operational since May 2021.
Commissioner Boswell said, “Crisis Centers are a crucial element of an integrated system of care. This award demonstrates the commitment of the local community to form and strengthen partnerships. The addition of the fourth Crisis Center, in one of the most populated metropolitan areas in the state, brings vital and necessary crisis services in an expanded and more accessible form.”
Crisis Centers are a designated place for community members, law enforcement, and first responders to take an individual who is in mental health crisis. Crisis Centers offer both walk-in access and the capacity for first responders and law enforcement to transfer individuals to the center for crisis care for a warm hand-off to Crisis Center staff, short-term admission, medication management, and case management. Services also include critical crisis intervention and stabilization services, discharge planning and connections to ongoing behavioral health care services, if needed.
In the 2020 and 2021 legislative sessions, Governor Ivey prioritized establishing a mental health crisis continuum of care, with efforts in the Alabama Legislature led by House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter. The initial three Crisis Centers were funded with an $18 million appropriation in the FY2021 General Fund budget, with continuation funding secured in the FY2022 General Fund. The fourth Crisis Center is funded through a new budget appropriation of $6 million approved by the Alabama Legislature. All Crisis Center funds were awarded through a Request for Information and competitive Request for Proposal evaluation and selection process.
To learn more, please visit Alabama Department of Mental Health Alabama Crisis System of Care webpage.
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Press Contact
Gina Maiola, Press Secretary
Office of Governor Kay Ivey
gina.maiola@governor.alabama.gov
600 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, AL 36130 | (334) 242-7150
For more information, visit: http://governor.alabama.gov/.
Governor Ivey Photos | Newsroom
ALABAMA MEDICAID AGENCY
AWARDED MOBILE CRISIS INTERVENTION GRANT
Expanding the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Crisis System of Care
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the Alabama Medicaid Agency, along with 19 other State Medicaid Agencies, a planning grant funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) to develop and implement community-based mobile crisis intervention services for people experiencing a substance use-related or mental health crisis. Alabama was awarded $953,336.00 for use over a twelve-month period effective September 30, 2021, through September 29, 2022. This award will benefit the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Crisis System of Care.
Commissioner Stephanie Azar said, “Alabama Medicaid is happy to partner with the Department of Mental Health on this initiative to plan for emergency behavioral health services with increased access to care and resources in our state.”
“We are excited to receive the CMS State Planning Grant and grateful to partner with Alabama Medicaid. This grant is critical to expanding crisis services and access to care, particularly in our rural communities,” said Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kim Boswell.
With the support of this highly competitive CMS State Planning Grant, Alabama will coordinate longstanding efforts to expand access to robust and timely crisis behavioral health services. Crisis services which include evidence-based best practices found in SAMHSA’s “National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care” will be used in preparation for developing and submitting to CMS, a State Plan Amendment (SPA), section 1115 demonstration application, or section 1915(b) or 1915(c) waiver request to provide qualifying community-based mobile crisis intervention services.
The grant allows for the continued planning and expansion of the Alabama Crisis System of Care. This system overseen by the Alabama Department of Mental Health diverts more individuals from civil commitments, expands access to care, reduces the number of arrests, decreases the frequency of admissions to hospital emergency departments, and promotes sustained recovery.
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Enterprise Ledger –
Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced the creation of Alabama Family Central a comprehensive, easy-to-use web and mobile destination that offers parents and families, guardians, teachers and caregivers a one-stop connection to programs and services in Alabama.
Information on childcare, education, family services and health services can all be found here.
“Alabama Family Central will ensure that all parents and children in our state have access to crucial information and resources from numerous state agencies and non-profit organizations,” Governor Ivey said.
“Great parents need strong partners, and I am proud of the strong collaboration between the state and private sector to offer a one-stop shop of assistance for Alabama families. I appreciate the Alabama Partnership for Children spearheading this effort.”
Alabama Family Central was collaboratively created by state agencies and other partners to support Alabama families as a compilation of available state resources that can assist with issues related to the health and well-being of children. The Alabama Legislature is also supporting this effort with $500,000 in funding from the Education Trust Fund budget.
The website offers organized, easy-to-use resources to assist parents and caregivers as they help their children learn from home. From online learning basics to help for every grade and subject, these resources are meant to support and supplement the information school districts are providing to families.
“When I learned that our students would be learning remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my heart immediately went out to the parents who would need assistance teaching their children at home,” Senator Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile) said.
“I requested funding to set up such assistance, so I humbly thank Governor Kay Ivey and Senator Arthur Orr (R- Decatur) for granting that request. It was a pleasure working with A+ Education Partnership and the Alabama Partnership for Children to incorporate this idea into their programs, and I look forward to its expansion. Every child deserves access to the highest quality education, no matter their circumstances.”
A+ Education Partnership;
Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention;
Alabama Department of Early Education;
Alabama Department of Education;
Alabama Department of Human Resources;
Alabama Department of Mental Health;
Alabama Department of Public Health;
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services;
Alabama Medicaid.
Gov. Ivey announces creation of Alabama Family Central Website
Alexander City Outlook –
The Alabama Department of Mental Health has launched a new electronic job application process. The new electronic application is easier to access, complete, and submit. It also allows the applicant to update and resubmit an application once submitted, resolving previous obstacles identified in the recruitment process.
“This new process promises great things for both job seekers and the Alabama Department of Mental Health,” ADMH human resources director Lynn Hubbard said in a press release. “We are so pleased to implement this additional step in our strategy for workforce development, an essential pillar in providing a gateway to care for all those served by the department.”
The job application process also provides efficiency and time-saving features to expedite the processing of applications once they are received. Automatic routing of applications to internal programs, storing of applicant information, applicant notifications, and data reporting processes will free up ADMH Human Resources staff to focus on the critical steps of interview and selection.
Please view the new application on the ADMH Human Resources Management page. For questions on the employment process, please email recruitment.dmh@mh.alabama.gov.
State mental health department launches new online job application
WSFA –
The Alabama Department of Mental Health said people are not aware of the help the state offers for people dealing with substance use disorder.
Less than one in five of the people in the United States who are dealing with substance use disorder get the treatment they need, according to ADMH 2017 data. And the department encouraged people to reach out.
Pamela Butler works as the coordinator of recovery services with the Alabama Department of Mental Health. At one point she was unemployed with a college degree and said additional resources helped her overcome an addiction.
“I think people have the misunderstanding that once people go to treatment, they will be better. They need somewhere to live. They need a job. They need food. You know. They need some shoes. They need some teeth,” Butler said.
Now Butler encourages people to tap into the help the Alabama Department of Mental Health offers for sometimes little or no cost.
For example, the department partners with at least 60 providers to help with housing, transportation and counseling.
But the mental health department says people are not aware of the help out. Only 19 percent of Americans who needed treatment for a substance use disorder got the help they needed in 2017.
“It’s stigma. It really does affect all of us in a way that when you have a problem you don’t always go to someone to talk about it. When you go to family members, they don’t know what to say, where to go,” said Malissa Valdes-Hubert, a spokeswoman with the Alabama Department of Mental Health.
She said last year the department of mental health helped 30,000 people in Alabama who were dealing with substance use disorder.
“Even though you’re in recovery and you’re doing great. You’ve still got to pay bills. You still need income. You still need a house,” said Butler.
The department says they heavily depend on individual people to spread the word about the help the department offers.
The department of mental health has received about $34 million in grants that they have used to bring awareness to the programs they have.
A 2017 state survey result said substance abuse and mental health was ranked 4th among Alabama voter priorities.
Ala. Dept. of Mental Health urging people to get help for substance use disorders
WBRC –
The locations for three new crisis care centers meant to help those undergoing immediate mental health emergencies will be announced in October.
Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear told the Senate General Fund committee during an informal meeting on Tuesday that she hopes the centers can open by May of next year. The centers are meant to lessen the amount of mentally ill people being admitted to emergency rooms and jails and reduce the recidivism rate for those with mental illness.
The department works with 19 mental health providers throughout the state and the new emergency care centers will be housed with three of those entities, Beshear said. They will be open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year with clinical and supportive care services for anyone who needs it.
“In this work, it is to respond to the unique needs of our state and our communities, and we want this work to become the framework for a statewide system of crisis care,” Beshear said.
The centers include both walk-in access for individuals and the ability for emergency departments and law enforcement agencies to transfer people to the center for crisis care, including short-term admission, medication management and case management.
Services will also include discharge planning and connections to ongoing behavioral health care services for longer-term care if needed.
The facilities are a result of an $18 million appropriation in the 2021 General Fund budget approved earlier this year by the state Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey. Mental health was one of the Legislature’s top priorities for the 2020 regular session before it was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Along with the creation of the new crisis care centers, Beshear said a collaborative effort between community stakeholders like jails, law enforcement and hospitals is what will make these centers more effective and will ensure more people get the proper help they need in Alabama
Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, said during Tuesday’s meeting that he was excited for the centers to be operational and thinks the individualistic care practices will help many people in the state.
“I just know in the long term, it will make a big difference in our state but more importantly in a lot of people’s lives,” Chambliss said.
Locations for 3 new crisis care centers to be announced in October
The Outlook –
Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday awarded $7 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to support two programs of the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH). Of the funds, $1 million will be used for the ADMH’s Crisis and Recovery Services program and $6 million is for the Community Provider Reimbursement program.
“COVID-19 has taken a toll on Alabamians in many ways, and that certainly includes their mental health,” Ivey said in a press release. “Like people around the globe, the people of our state are suffering, and I remain committed to providing the necessary support to get our state and her people back on our feet.
“These funds will go to support important mental health services that Alabamians are seeking in these difficult times. I am pleased to see the CARES Act funds continually being put to work for the people of Alabama.”
The ADMH’s Crisis Recovery Services program will develop a web-based/toll-free crisis hotline to help direct individuals, especially those impacted by COVID-19, to appropriate services. This hotline will be staffed by trained crisis specialists to determine the acuity of a crisis situation and determine the appropriate intervention needed to alleviate or stabilize the crisis.
The $6 million being funded for the Community Provider Reimbursement program will allow the ADMH to reimburse the nearly 300 provider agencies that offer essential services to individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders and developmental disabilities.
“We are deeply grateful for Gov. Ivey’s support of community providers and Alabamians with mental illness, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disabilities who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic,” ADMH commissioner Lynn Beshear said. “Through the Governor’s leadership in establishing this grant program, access to behavioral health services will be enhanced, and organizations that care for some of our most vulnerable citizens will be reimbursed for unexpected expenses related to the virus.”
Alabama received approximately $1.9 billion of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding to respond to and mitigate COVID-19. Alabama Act 2020-199 designated up to $300 million of the Coronavirus Relief Fund to be used to reimburse state agencies for expenditures directly related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ivey awards $7 million in CARES Act funds for mental healthcare
WAFF – A new resource is available to support the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Public Health’s “Stop Judging, Start Healing” campaign.
An informational PowerPoint brings awareness and exposure to ending the stigmas of opioid use disorder, HIV, viral Hepatitis, substance use disorder and mental illness. The program is also designed to give supporting information to enhance the healing process for the people experiencing these stigmas, as well as the people who support them.
The “Stop Judging, Start Healing” campaign was created to educate and bring awareness to create a state of mind where people with mental health disorders are valued and treated with dignity and where stigma and barriers to treatment and recovery are eliminated.
You can download the PowerPoint on the state mental health department website.
Alabama officials launch ‘Stop Judging, Start Healing’ campaign to address mental health
CBS 42 –
The Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) announced the addition of 19 new Nationally Certified Trauma Trainers in the state of Alabama to offer trauma-informed response training throughout the state.
The certification is provided by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration’s (SAMHSA) GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation. ADMH was one of 10 communities chosen nationally to participate in the trauma-informed care experience and this training includes seven ADMH staff members.
The training, “How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses,” helps educate criminal justice professionals about the impact of trauma and how to develop trauma-informed responses.
During the four-hour highly interactive training, professionals increase their understanding of trauma, create an awareness of the impact of trauma on behavior, and develop trauma-informed responses.
This is tailored to community-based criminal justice professionals including:
- community correction (probation, parole, and pretrial services officers)
- court personnel
- police
- behavioral health care providers
- other human service providers
Trauma informed responses can help to avoid re-traumatizing individuals, and thereby increase safety for all, decrease recidivism, and promote support recovery of justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness and substance use issues. Partnerships across the systems can also help to link individuals to trauma-informed services and treatment for trauma.
NICOLE WALDEN, ADMH DIRECTOR OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
SAMHSA recognizes the majority of people who have behavioral health issues and are involved with the justice system have significant histories of trauma and exposure to personal and community violence.
Traumatic events can include:
- physical and sexual abuse
- neglect
- bullying
- community-based violence
- disaster
- terrorism
- war
According to the SAMHSA, such experiences can challenge a person’s capacity for recovery, pose barriers to accessing services, and result in an increased risk of interacting with the criminal justice system.
For more information about receiving training for your agency or your community, you can reach out to one of the following contacts below:
| Jill Bates AIDS Alabama Phone: 205-427-9104 Email: jill.bates@aidsalabama.org | Camille Jones Social Worker, Birmingham Municipal Court Phone: 205-254-2447 Email: cdjones890@yahoo.com |
| Yakima Burch Treatment Services Coordinator Aletheia House Phone: 205-324-6502 Email: yburch@specialkindofcaring.org | Stacey Lee Program Coordinator, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-451-6788 Email: Stacey.lee@mh.alabama.gov |
| Pamela Butler Coordinator of Peer Services, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 205-383-8467 Email:pamela.butler@mh.alabmama.gov | Dana McCreless Q/A Program Administrator, Community Justice Programs University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology Phone: 205-917-3780 ext. 248 Email: danamccreless@uabmc.edu |
| Luciana Coleman Program Manager, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-242-1709 Email:luciana.coleman@mh.alabma.gov | Debbi Sims Metzger Program Manager, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-322-0160 Email: debbi.sims@mh.alabama.gov |
| Keisha Kennedy Director of Behavioral Health, Aletheia House Phone: 205-229-7534 Email:kkennedy@specialkindofcaring.com | Denice Morris Program Manager, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-242-1707 Email: denice.morris@mh.alabama.gov |
| Stephen Bailey Davis Director of Community Justice Programs, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology Phone: 205-427-9870 Email:stephen.davis@uabm.edu | Madalyn Roberts Social Worker, Birmingham Municipal Court Phone: 205-254-2447 Email: Madalyn.Roberts@birminghamal.gov |
| Meta Eatman Alabama Pardons and Parole Phone: 205-305-1426 Email: Meta.Eatman@paroles.alabama.gov | Yvonne Thomas Director, Connecting Creative Communities Phone: 317-501-7209 Email: yk1qt@yahoo.com |
| Gloria Howard Chief Operating Officer, Aletheia House Phone: 205-533-6014 Email: ghoward@specialkindofcaring.org | Tunja Tolbert Outreach Specialist, R.O.S.S. Phone: 334-207-0061 Email: ross4us.trtolbert@gmail.com |
| Brooke Whitfield Program Manager, Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-399-5215 Email: brooke.whitfield@mh.alabama.gov | Bethany Tyree Clinical Director, CED Fellowship House, Inc. Phone: 256-458-4463 Email: bethanyttyree@yahoo.com |
| Nicole Walden Director, Substance Abuse Treatment Services Alabama Department of Mental Health Phone: 334-353-7248 Email: nicole.walden@mh.alabama.gov |
Trauma response training now offered in the state by Alabama Department of Mental Health