Smithville Clinic Gets Obamacare Grant

SMITHVILLE, Miss. (Press Release) — Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., today announced $250,000 in Affordable Care Act funding to Access Family Health Care in Smithville to establish or expand behavioral health services for 1,148 Mississippians.

Nationally, HRSA announced $51.3 million in Affordable Care Act funding to support 210 health centers establish or expand behavioral health services for nearly 440,000 people.

Earlier this year, HHS awarded $54.5 million in Affordable Care Act funding for 223 other health centers to expand behavioral health services. Health centers use these new funds to hire new mental health professionals, add mental health and substance use disorder health services, and employ integrated models of primary care.

“Today’s awards will give Mississippi health centers the ability to improve access and care for individuals in need of mental health services,” said HRSA Administrator Wakefield. “These funds support the Administration’s focus on improving recognition of and responding to mental health needs of Mississippians and people nationwide.”

The Affordable Care Act expands mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections for approximately 60 million Americans nationwide, including 552,191 Mississippians. HHS is also supporting health centers’ efforts to integrate behavioral health services into primary care.

Today, nearly 21 health centers operate more than 197 service delivery sites that provide care to over 299,488 patients in Mississippi. In 2013, Mississippi health centers saw over 5,240 behavioral health patients. Nationally, nearly 1,300 health centers operate more than 9,200 service delivery sites that provide care to over 21.7 million patients in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin. In 2013, health centers saw over 1.2 million behavioral health patients nationwide.