WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Governor Abbott announced a $239 million investment to expand rural mental health services. Local facilities support the funding to address growing mental health needs.
- Governor Abbott announced a $239 million investment to expand mental health services in rural Texas.
- Funding will support 332 mental health beds in Beaumont, Victoria, Montgomery, and Edinburg.
- Local facilities welcome the funding to help alleviate hospital capacity issues and address mental health needs.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Governor Greg Abbott recently announced 239 million dollars in grants for mental health care in rural areas throughout the state.
The goal is for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to focus on helping treat and stabilize patients in rural communities without having to travel to a major city
“We have a lot of behavioral health needs in our state,” Ron Kimbell, the Chief Strategy Officer of Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, said.
Although the money won’t be going toward hospitals in Central Texas, local mental health facilities tell me it will benefit the entire state.
“Helping any state hospital capacity issues that we encounter on a day-to-day basis can positively impact what we're doing here," Kimbell said. "It is always a challenge to find hospital space in the state for a lot of the individuals we serve."
Sharing that finding mental health services throughout the state can sometimes be a challenge.
“We deal with a lot of individuals that have had difficulty finding appropriate services, whether that be outpatient or inpatient hospital services,” Kimbell said.
The funding will go directly toward 332 beds for mental health patients in four communities: Beaumont, Victoria, Montgomery, and Edinburg.
According to the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network - as of the beginning of this year, there are a total of 1,753 individuals in Texas county jails awaiting a hospital bed.
Locally, there are currently 32 people in the McLennan County jails awaiting a bed. 11 are awaiting a bed in a maximum security unit, while 21 need a bed in a non-maximum security unit.
“We’re an underfunded system nationally, and that holds true within the state too,” said Kimbell.
Local facilities said they're glad to see much-needed progress being made.
“We appreciate all the assistance we can get from the legislature and the governor's office,” Kimbell said.
The grant contracts are currently in various phases of design and document development.
More information on the grants can be found here.
