The Federal Department of Health & Human Services announced today an award of $1,000,000 to the state of South Carolina to fund mental health services.
The million dollar award, announced today by Heath and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell, comes from Affordable Care Act funding, and will support four health centers in South Carolina for the expansion or establishment of behavioral health services.
Currently there are nearly 20 health centers operating 165 locations to provide mental health services for over 315,000 South Carolina residents.
The Affordable Care Act is nationally funding 221 health centers with fiscal awards totaling $54.6 million. More than 450,000 people around the country are in need of behavioral services, substance use disorder, and mental health services.
Nationwide, health centers saw more than 1.2 million behavioral health patients in 2013, and the South Carolina health centers treated over 12,000 behavioral health patients.
HHS says the ultimate goal is to give Americans additional opportunities to access high quality care. The Affordable Care Act expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits for approximately 60 million nationwide, including over 866,000 South Carolinians.