The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $2 million grant to AHCCCS on April 16, 2020 to increase behavioral health services in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. The agency’s application, submitted on April 10, requested the grant funding in order to increase treatment services and improve service infrastructure in order to help meet increased community needs statewide.
AHCCCS will distribute the grant funding through the three Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) contractors, Health Choice in the Northern Region, Mercy Care in the Central Region, and Arizona Complete Health in the Southern Region. In turn, the RBHAs will use these funds to serve individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) designations, individuals with Substance Use Disorders (SUD), and/or individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
The grant identifies specific direct service funding requirements: 70 percent must be used to provide direct services to those with co-occurring SMI and SUD needs, 10 percent must be used for healthcare workers with mental health needs (less severe than SMI) requiring mental health care as a result of COVID-19, and 20 percent must be used for all other individuals with mental health needs less severe than SMI. Grant funding will support direct treatment services, and/or recovery support services, wrap around support services for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 (short term) being released from an inpatient facility not able to return to family, residential, etc, recovery housing based on AHCCCS established rates, and personal protective equipment for staff charged to the grant.
Questions may be directed to GrantsManagement@azahcccs.gov
