Alert

A pilot program being funded by the federal government will bring added health services for Joplin-area residents who need help with mental health, addiction or chronic physical health problems.

The new health care program will provide a variety of services, including increased screening, treatment, prevention and wellness services as well as crisis care to people with serious mental illnesses and addiction disorders.

Missouri is one of eight states that will receive funding for the program, which is provided under the federal Excellence in Mental Health Act. It was introduced by Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in 2014 and signed into law in 2015.

"This program will have an impact on behavioral health services across the entire state," said Mary Parrigon, executive director of Ozark Health Center, part of Freeman Health Systems, in a statement issued Tuesday. "The project will establish quality and quantitative measures for behavior health providers and assist in increasing access to care," she said.

The two-year pilot project also was made available to Oklahoma, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Ozark Center is one of 19 agencies in Missouri that will be able to offer more services under the program.

"The Excellence in Mental Health Act will transform the way Missouri provides cutting-edge behavioral health care services to individuals suffering from serious, untreated mental, addictive and chronic physical health problems," said Brent McGinty, executive officer of the Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Health Care, in the statement. "We are honored to be selected as one of the eight demonstration states."

Officials at Ozark Center are gearing up now to start the program July 1.

The health center will hire 20 more employees to provide the increased services, Parrigon said through Shannon Bruffett, media relations coordinator.

Bruffett said the project is intended to help stem health crises by linking people with services before those occur.

When the federal law is fully operational, it is intended to increase access to health and addiction treatment services nationwide through $1 billion in congressional funding.

Access

The federal law is intended to improve access to treatment, promote public safety and to reduce some of the demand for emergency room services resulting from mental health crises, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health.

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