Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office said the state’s Medicaid waiver to the federal government isn’t just about providing better mental health services more efficiently; it also aims to help ease the burden on the state’s criminal justice system.
Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Felicia Norwood said the recently submitted waiver would use $2.7 billion of federal funds over five years to focus on community-based care and prevention efforts without any additional state tax dollars.
The new effort would help improve mental health treatment and transition those from the criminal justice system into everyday society, Norwood said.
“If we don’t prepare before individuals leave the juvenile justice system to have them linked with someone on the other side, we don’t really improve the opportunity to reduce recidivism.”
Stakeholders in Illinois’ behavioral health arena are applauding.
Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO Sara Howe applauded Rauner …
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State expects Medicaid mental-health care waiver to unburden prisons