$8.8M in federal dollars to expand Texas mental health, substance abuse services

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Across Texas, 15 community health centers will get a boost of federal dollars to help Texans and address the nation’s mental health and opioid crises, an announcement said Monday.

The selected community health centers will get a total of $8.8 million to start and expand mental health and substance abuse disorder services, the announcement said. These centers support people who are uninsured, underinsured or enrolled in Medicaid.

A 2023 study ranked Texas as the “worst state for mental health care” , citing the availability of mental health services and that Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured adults with mental illnesses.

The money comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Among the health centers is the Georgetown-based Lone Star Circle of Care. The group will get $600,000.

Lone Star Circle of Care plans to sue the money to “plan, develop and implement programming for substance use disorder (SUD) services” with a behavioral health care team. The team will be at LSCC at Collinfield in north Austin.

The center currently provides primary care and behavioral health services, and the new team will give comprehensive care to people with mental health and SUD needs in on-site and virtual visits, according to Lone Star Circle of Care.

Previously, patients needing SUD services were referred to external providers, the health care provider said.

Here are the 15 health centers, where they are located and how much money they will get:

• Asian American Health Coalition of the Greater Houston Area: Houston: $600,000
• Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, Inc.: College Station: $600,000
• Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation: Brownsville: $600,000
• Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Inc.: Corpus Christi: $565,000
• Community Health Center of Lubbock: Lubbock: $548,949
• The Community Health Service Agency, Inc. of Hunt County: Greenville: $600,000
• Cross Timbers Health Clinics Inc.: De Leon: $600,000
• El Centro De Corazon: Houston: $600,000
• Ellis County Coalition for Health Options: Waxahachie: $441,376
• Heart of Texas Community Health Center Inc: Waco: $600,000
• Legacy Community Health Services Inc: Houston: $600,000
• Lone Star Circle of Care: Georgetown: $600,000
• Lone Star Community Health Center, Inc.: Conroe: $600,000
• Project Vida Health Center: El Paso: $600,000
• Spring Branch Community Health Center: Katy: $600,000

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services , 254 of the 256 counties in Texas have a shortage of mental health professionals. The remaining two counties have partial shortage designations.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.