Miss. mental health agency asks for $765M; lawmakers omit key costs
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health requested just over $765 million for fiscal 2027, about $33 million more in general fund appropriations than lawmakers allocated last year, the agency said. Executive Director Wendy Bailey told state lawmakers the request would fund expanded services and one-time needs, and help cover rising health care costs.
Bailey told a Senate appropriations meeting in January that the department’s top priorities include replacing backup generators at community homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a major repair at North Mississippi State Hospital that inspectors may cite if it is not fixed, and sustained financial support for community mental health centers that are expected to treat people regardless of ability to pay.
As the Legislature approaches its March 30 deadline, neither the House nor Senate budget proposals include much of the department’s requested funding, the agency said. The Senate’s bill reduces the agency’s funding by about $4 million from last year, while a House amendment adds roughly $14 million more than the Senate plan in general funds but does not cover the hospital capital improvements or additional operational costs for community mental health centers, the department said.
Leaders of the state’s community mental health centers said the shortfall threatens care. Phaedre Cole, president of the Mississippi Association of Community Mental Health Centers, said the department asked for a $4.2 million increase that would help offset service costs but that centers’ actual operational needs total about $14.4 million. Cole said she is worried about a possible Medicaid provider payment cut of up to 11% warned by Mississippi Medicaid Director Cindy Bradshaw and called the potential impact “catastrophic.” Matt Westerfield, a Mississippi Medicaid spokesperson, did not respond to requests for comment.
Lawmakers charged with negotiating the budget said Medicaid funding talks will affect the mental health appropriation. House Republican Public Health and Human Services Committee Chair Sam Creekmore said he wants to finalize the Medicaid budget before moving on and told the agency he wants to verify its numbers. Sen. Angela Hill, Republican chair of the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Department of Mental Health, said she is concerned about public mental health funding and will try to prioritize community centers as leaders finalize the budget.
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