Missouri Department of Mental Health

There are currently 253 people in Missouri jails, who haven't been convicted of a crime, still waiting to be transferred to a state hospital for mental health treatment.

Legislation directs social services, mental health departments to collaborate on solutions to clients being boarded in medical and mental health facilities ‘without medical justification’

Rep. Doug Richey, a Republican from Excelsior Springs, is proposing a narrowed version of his amendment banning diversity, equity and inclusion programming as the Missouri budget debate moves to the Senate.

Missourians are seeing massive delays in receiving services, ranging from call center wait times to court-ordered mental treatment.

The Department of Mental Health has continued to grapple with steep vacancies among staff, causing access to care across its state-run mental health facilities to decline as wings are shut down.

Many Missourians don't support the state's abortion ban, but that doesn't appear to change who they vote for. Plus: The 988 emergency mental health hotline debuted this summer, but some advocates question if Missouri is committed to funding the project long term.

In July, Missouri officials debuted 988, an emergency mental health hotline that connects callers to dozens of organizations around the country based on the caller’s area code. But advocates are concerned that the state has not committed to funding the hotline for the long term.

Fentanyl is driving an overdose crisis that’s proving especially deadly for Black Missourians. Now Kansas City is starting to see the effects, but health experts say that existing efforts to treat substance use disorder aren’t helping the people who need it most.