In honor of the 72nd annual Mental Health Month this May, supported by Mental Health America, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is showcasing recent state health policy resources to support mental health. An estimated 20.6 percent of adults and 16.5 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health condition each year. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these needs, negatively impacting the mental health of many children and adults. This resource page provides policy options and considerations for states interested in improving access to high-quality mental health care for youth and adults. These resources are organized into four categories: screening, treatment and delivery systems, reducing inequities, and school-based mental health systems.
Screening
- State Strategies to Measure and Incentivize Adolescent Depression Screening and Treatment in Medicaid
- State Medicaid Policies for Maternal Depression Screening During Well-Child Visits
- Resources on State Medicaid Maternal Depression Screening Tools and Policies
- NASHP Finds More States Are Screening for Maternal Depression during Well-Child Visits
Treatment and Delivery Systems
- State Strategies to Serve Children and Youth in Foster Care through Specialized Medicaid Managed Care Programs
- Three States’ Strategies to Improve Behavioral Health Services Delivery through Medicaid Accountable Care Programs
- Providing Behavioral Health Treatment for Children Through Medicaid Delivery Systems
- States Use Policy Levers and Emerging Research to Address Antipsychotic Use in Children in Foster Care
Reducing Inequities
- Behavioral Health Workforce Innovations: How Massachusetts and New York Engage Community Health Workers and Peers to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities
- How Supported Employment Can Address Mental Health Inequities in Minority Populations: Five States’ Experiences
- NASHP Identifies State Strategies to Address Mental Health and Education Inequities
School-Based Mental Health Systems
- State Approaches to Improve Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems
- States Expand Medicaid Reimbursement of School-Based Telehealth Services
- Michigan’s Caring for Students Program Leverages Medicaid Funding to Expand School Behavioral Health Services
- Through Coordination and Investment, Arizona Substantially Increases Access to School-Based Behavioral Health Services