4
Policy
Advances
2023
HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Expanding National Commitments to Mental Health
By strengthening important relationships on Capitol Hill, including with Chairwoman of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), the Meadows Institute helped secure an unprecedented amount of mental health program financing in the 2023 federal budget for data-driven programs designed for maximum impact. And we did all this during a legislative session in which spending cuts were the norm.
$10.42 billion: Fiscal year 2023 federal funding approved as a result of Meadows Institute educational guidance, including achievements highlighted throughout this report and:
$7.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – an increase of $790 million from fiscal year 2022 funding
$770.8 million for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) program, which funds law enforcement training to use de-escalation tactics in crisis response – a nearly $100 million increase
$501.6 million for crisis response services, including the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – a nearly $400 million increase
$385 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics – an increase of more than $70 million
$1 BILLION
For MENTAL HEALTH
BLOCK GRANT
$60 MILLION
For GRANTS & TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
$125 million a year for five years for the Continuing Systems of Care for Children Act, which improves mental health outcomes for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances (SED) and their families
$24 million per year for six years for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) screening for pregnant and post-partum women
$10 million per year for six years to establish an information and intervention hotline for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing or at risk of maternal mental health challenges or substance abuse disorder
$45 million for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration program, which provides grants to Texas communities to improve public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders
The Meadows Institute’s depth of practice and experience place us at the center of conversations that create change. In 2023, the Meadows Institute deepened our participation in national coalitions working to strengthen mental health policy. We partnered with organizations including the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Coalition, the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), Mind the Gap Coalition, the Primary Care Collaborative, the Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Coalition, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the National Criminal Justice Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the American Psychiatric Association to amplify our collective voices.
Texas’ Record Funding for Behavioral Health
helped secure:
“Mental health is a big priority of this Senate and has been for several years. This is the largest increase in mental health funding in the history of Texas.”
$11.68 billion: Total funding for behavioral health delivered by the 88th Texas Legislature, an increase of more than 30% from the previous session
- 28 state agencies empowered to create, reform or expand mental health programs
37: Funded policies and programs that the Meadows Institute identified as opportunities, including:
- $63.1 million to help Uvalde recover and bolster mental health resilience
- $165 million to fund grants for Meadows Institute-designed and locally-driven solutions the Mental Health Grant Program for Justice-Involved Individuals, the Community Mental Health Grant Program and the Texas Veterans and Family Alliance Grant Program
- $186.9 million to address the mental health workforce shortage emergency by expanding funding for the Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals and increasing and maintaining salaries at state hospitals and local mental health authorities
- $2.26 billion to fund new and expanded mental health infrastructure projects, including facilities for people experiencing mental health crises, pediatric inpatient beds and capital improvements for state hospital facilities.
See the full impact of the Meadows Institute’s work with the 88th Texas Legislature
