State Funding for County Behavioral Health Crisis Services: Examples and Opportunities
Available On-Demand
This webinar is available on-demand. If you have issue accessing the recording, please email nacomeetings@naco.org.
State support can be pivotal for counties pursuing the sustainability and expansion of their local behavioral health crisis services and infrastructures. In this webinar, speakers will explore examples of state-funded initiatives that bolster county-level behavioral health crisis services. This session will share lessons learned from two different counties that have successfully navigated state funding opportunities to enhance their crisis response systems. Participants will gain insights into the potential avenues for securing and utilizing state funds, learn about the challenges and triumphs experienced by county programs, and discover new opportunities to strengthen their local behavioral health services.
Hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the MacArthur Foundation, this presentation will offer information and inspiration to support county efforts in addressing behavioral health crises using new or existing services.
Resource
County Funding Opportunities to Support Community Members Experiencing a Behavioral Health Crisis
To inform local decision making, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD) developed a chart of funding opportunities across federal, state and county governments and non-government sectors. This funding chart can help county leaders identify possible funding streams to build and strengthen local behavioral health crisis response continuums.
The funding sources reflect opportunities across behavioral health, criminal legal and related systems. Due to the cross-sector nature of crisis response, some sources focus on certain populations, like youth, while others target a certain supportive piece of the crisis continuum, like workforce or training. Counties can blend and braid these resources to build a robust, accessible and sustainable behavioral health crisis continuum of care.
Watch Recording
State and Local Government Organizations Express Concern Over Proposed Changes to Medicaid Financing and Requirements
NACo, NLC, NCSL, USCM, CSG and ICMA emphasize the impact of policy changes to eligibility requirements and financing of Medicaid.
U.S. Congress begins work on budget reconciliation process: What this means for counties
The House and Senate Budget Committees have marked up Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget resolutions to initiate the budget reconciliation process to enact policy priorities without garnering bipartisan support, although the two chambers differ in their approach to drafting the legislation.
Congress introduces bipartisan legislation to strengthen rural health care access and funding
Rural communities face unique health care challenges, from provider shortages to funding disparities. To address these concerns, the U.S. Senate recently introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at improving rural health care access and funding: the Rural Health Focus Act and the Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act.
U.S. Senate reintroduces bipartisan disaster mitigation bill to support homeowners
On January 30, a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025, a bill aimed at eliminating federal taxation of state-provided residential mitigation grants. NACo previously supported this legislation and continues to advocate for its passage to support county resilience efforts.
Crash sets big stage for well-honed county mutual aid response effort
Local counties responded with practiced coordination to the deadly collision between an airplane and helicopter, offering help for search and rescue, recovery and support operations.
Panel: People in crisis need support, not handcuffs
Counties can better serve people experiencing a behavioral health crisis by engaging behavioral health specialists instead of law enforcement, experts told county officials at a recent meeting held at NACo headquarters.