Government & Regulation

A new piece of legislation would allow physician assistants in Massachusetts to place individuals in an involuntary psychiatric hold if thought to be experiencing a mental health crisis or a harm to themselves or others.

New York healthcare providers, including Buffalo, N.Y.-based Evergreen Health, are suing the state over changes to its 340B program set to take effect April 1, ABC affiliate WKBW reported March 27.

Lawmakers in New Jersey are looking to spend $3 million to expand mental health services for law enforcement, the New Jersey Monitor reported March 28. 

Dawn Cottingham-Frohna has been named commissioner of West Virginia's Department of Health and Human Resources' Bureau for Behavioral Health, effective immediately. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law a bill that allows nurse practitioners to practice without holding contracts with physicians, according to a March 16 American Association of Nurse Practitioners news release.

HHS has established two grants totaling $123.6 million for community behavioral health clinic expansion through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Washington State Senate has proposed allocating $860 million of the state's budget toward behavioral health initiatives, Peninsula Daily News reported March 23. 

The Louisiana Department of Health may have improperly spent $13 million in behavioral health provider fees, according to a state auditor's report. 

Here are 14 bills aiming to expand access to mental and behavioral healthcare at the national and state levels that Becker's has reported on since March 1.

Senators Michael Bennett from Colorado and Ron Wyden from Oregon introduced the Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act March 22 to expand access to mental and behavioral health services for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid patients.