AUGUSTA – A new law sponsored by Rep. Anne Graham, D-North Yarmouth, to expand behavioral healthcare access went into effect this week.
Behavioral health services, including mental healthcare, substance use disorder services, crisis stabilization and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will now be more accessible for Mainers – particularly in rural areas – through LD 721, which provides funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.
“Everyone, especially vulnerable Mainers, children and veterans, should have access to behavioral healthcare services,” said Graham. “These services help reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations through earlier intervention and decrease involvement with the criminal justice system. This legislation will help improve healthcare workforce shortages and health outcomes and will produce long-term cost savings across multiple systems, including healthcare, education and public safety.”
According to NAMI Maine, more than one in five adults experience a mental illness each year, and more than 260,000 Mainers live in a community without enough mental health professionals. Additionally, nearly 10,000 calls were made to Maine’s 988 Suicide and Crisis line in 2023.
Rep. Anne Graham, a member of both the Health and Human Services Committee and the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, is serving her fourth non-consecutive term in the Maine House of Representatives. She represents North Yarmouth and part of Gray.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Graham) | 305-965-2744