For those in mental health crises, available resources may they often have to wait for an ambulance or police car.
LANSING, Mich. — “Mental health is not just a policy.”
Rather, for State Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit), she says “it is family.”
“I carry my father’s story with me, I carry my grandmother’s story with me,” Santana said on Wednesday, recounting family members’ journeys dealing with mental health challenges. “And I know that there are thousands of families across Michigan with the stories just like theirs.”
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And for those facing behavioral or mental health crises, she and other lawmakers like State Rep. Steve Frisbie, a former paramedic, are teaming up to help deal with what they’ve seen as a major problem.
“What became very frustrating as the rise of mental health crisis rose in Michigan and across the nation is the delay in transport,” said Frisbie (R-Pennfield).
Frisbie, alongside those like Santana and State Senator Mark Huizenga (R-Walker), are among a bipartisan group behind an idea aimed at making fast and safe transport more accessible for people in those crises.
“Imagine you’re experiencing mental health crisis, or you’re in the hospital and need to be transported to a behavioral health facility,” Huizenga said at the Wednesday press conference, flanked by Frisbie and Santana. “Your options are limited, especially if you have Medicaid.”
The bills, 927 and 928 in the Senate and 5943 and 5944 in the House, would aim to open up dedicated behavioral health transportation to be covered by Michigan’s Medicaid system. They would also look to set up a legal framework to regulate those drivers and vehicles – things like licensing; vehicle feature, safety and content standards and training for those working at the transport agencies would all be included.
While ambulance transport would still be required in scenarios where the person requires medical intervention, active or ongoing medical monitoring or physical restraints, it’s a change that, overall, these lawmakers believe will free up resources like ambulances to respond to other local needs and ones for which they may be best suited.
“Imagine the EMS units that will still be available for complex medical conditions like heart attacks, strokes and other emergencies,” Huizenga said.
Medicaid itself has been the subject of much change in the last year from the federal level, and, as a result, expected adaptation from the state to keep it running in Michigan.
But as some ambulance services can already get reimbursement from Medicaid and can be expensive, the lawmakers believe their plan could actually lower costs.
“If we have this alternative option that’s one less person, a less expensive vehicle, but can safely transport them, it’ll be at a lesser cost,” Frisbie said. “So, my prediction would be we will see fewer costs as a result of this.”
“They deserve better,” Santana said. “And today, we are coming to do better, because Michigan matters and mental health matters to Michiganders.”