Alabama Department of Mental Health
Organizations make their pitches for Alabama opioid settlement money
Lawmakers and public officials heard proposals from different organizations Thursday for spending grant money from the state’s share of a national opioid settlement agreement. Fourteen groups who made their pitch for funding to members of the Oversight Commission on Opioid Settlement Funds during Thursday’s meeting, hoping to secure a grant from the estimated $249 million […]
Alabama agencies say they can spend COVID relief funds by 2026 deadline
State agency leaders told legislators Thursday they are confident they can spend American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by a deadline at the end of 2026. The state has until Dec. 31, 2024 to obligate the funds, meaning establishing agreements for specific projects. Once the funds are obligated, they must be spent by Dec. 31, […]
Alabama’s 988 crisis lifeline supporters call for more funding amidst growing mental health needs
Working at a call center for the state’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline can be rewarding. Kelsi McDowell, volunteer coordinator at Birmingham’s 988 call center, has been with the center since 2015, when she started as a volunteer. Currently, she helps out where she can and does a bit of everything around the call center. […]
Alabama Senate committee approves $3 billion General Fund budget
The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee Wednesday approved a $3 billion General Fund budget, setting it up for a vote in the chamber as early as Thursday. The proposal is slightly smaller than the House version of the General Fund, passed on April 26, but would be about $162 million larger than the […]
Suicide and crisis hotline bill moves out of Alabama Senate committee, stalls in House
A bill to fund the Alabama 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline remains in a House committee following disagreements over funding. HB 389, sponsored by House Ways and Means General Fund chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, would create a 988 Suicide and Crisis Call hotline for suicide prevention and crisis management. It would also require the Department […]
Funding becomes a sticking point in Alabama suicide and crisis hotline bill
A bill to provide funding for a suicide and crisis hotline encountered opposition in a House committee last week. But supporters of HB 389, sponsored by House Ways and Means General Fund chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, are optimistic it can pass into law in the final nine days of the current session. The bill would […]
Commissioners of state health agencies cite staffing issues in budget requests
During budget hearings Wednesday, Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner Nancy Buckner underlined the difficulties in retaining staff. The Alabama Department of Human Resources had a turnover rate of 64% among its child welfare staff last year, she said. That was up from 46% percent the prior year. Buckner said that hiring and retaining workers […]
ADMH Board of Trustees presents legislative agenda for 2023 session
The Alabama Department of Mental Health’s legislative agenda for the 2023 session will continue to focus on developing and retaining its workforce and improving access to care. Ada Katherine van Wyhe, ADMH’s chief of staff, said Friday that she, Commissioner Kimberly Boswell and Director Collier Tynes presented a brief in January to the governor’s legislative […]
Alabama Department of Mental Health expects to open two more crisis centers by July
The Alabama Department of Mental Health expects to open two more crisis centers over the next five months, according to an assessment of mental health initiatives presented to the department’s Board of Trustees on Friday. The report also evaluated three crisis centers open last year: AltaPointe in Mobile, WellStone in Huntsville and Carastar in Montgomery. […]