Co-Occurring Mental Health And Substance Abuse Disorders

• Amend section 1956 of the Public Health Service Act to clarify that the mental health and substance abuse block grants may be used to fund integrated treatment services for individuals with a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorder and delete language (". . . and can be tracked for accounting purposes.") that reinforces separate use of block grants and confuses the field. Recommended language: "States may use funds available for treatment under sections 1911 and 1921 to provide integrated treatment services for persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders as long as funds available under such sections are used for the purposes for which they were authorized by law."
  
  
• Amend SSI to allow individuals found to be disabled due to substance abuse to be eligible for Medicaid coverage.
  
  
• SAMHSA should provide written policy guidance to the field describing how the block grants can both be used to fund integrated treatment services to adults with serious mental illness and children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. To help implement the guidance, SAMHSA should provide technical assistance to states to ensure that mental health and substance abuse block grant reporting requirements do not create a barrier that prevents states from using block grant funds to establish integrated programs.
  
  
• ONDCP and HHS should convene a forum to promote awareness of the needs of individuals with co-occurring disorders and to encourage policies designed to meet their needs.
  
  
• Fund new rigorous research projects on integrated treatment.