mental health services

More than 1,000 Missourians traveled to the Capitol to attend Disability Rights Legislative Day. Lawmakers from both chambers have said they will try to restore $80.7 million in cuts proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe.

There are 524 Missourians waiting for treatment and services from the Department of Mental Health. Of those, 446 are in jails throughout the state — incarcerated indefinitely without being convicted of their alleged crimes.

The proposed cuts came out of a "core reduction exercise" requested by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Lawmakers from both parties vowed to undo the reductions but warned the governor could still veto any restoration.

Missouri Department of Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told lawmakers that while the reductions would impact families, the spending reductions would preserve the state's ability to offer these services.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration canceled $2 billion in grants for mental health and addiction treatment, and then reversed itself almost immediately. "It's just constant whiplash," said the president of First Call KC.

The Trump administration sent hundreds of letters Tuesday terminating federal grants supporting mental health and drug addiction services. The cuts could total as much as $2 billion.

Hundreds of Missourians are stuck in jail because they have been charged but not convicted of crimes, and were found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health disorders or cognitive disabilities. Now lawmakers are demanding solutions.

An effort is underway by President Donald Trump and cities like Kansas City, Kansas, to clear unhoused people from living in public spaces. But one Overland Park mental health expert fears homelessness will be criminalized — not addressing the root issue and costing more than providing adequate access to care.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be near an end. But weeks without paychecks and cuts to SNAP benefits put many Kansas Citians in desperate situations — and turning to local support systems like food pantries, mental health services and utility assistance programs.

Missouri’s competency-to-stand-trial system has become so overloaded that even people accused of low-level crimes now wait years for effective treatment. Most defendants bide their time in county jails that sheriffs acknowledge aren’t equipped to meet mental health needs.

Hundreds of Missouri residents are waiting in limbo after being found incompetent to stand trial. But until they can get a space at a state psychiatric hospital or otherwise receive mental health services, many are stuck in jail — despite not being convicted of a crime.

The federal government is going on four weeks of being shut down. Beyond the 30,000 federal workers around Kansas City who are working without pay, the shutdown also has trickle-down consequences for local mental health departments.