Detroit Evening Report: Michigan health department aims to expand mental health care for children in foster homes, juvenile jail
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is expanding its services for behavioral needs for kids in foster care and in the juvenile system.
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MDHHS is asking care providers to produce plans to facilitate mental health care services for children who are in dire need. The department contracts with 31 childcare institutions.
“This is an important step forward to ensure that children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems who need mental health stabilization have a place to go to be treated,” Demetrius Starling, executive director of the department’s Children’s Services Agency, said in a statement. “To do that, we are asking our child-caring institutions to provide the behavioral health treatment youth need before they transition to homes with their parents, relatives or foster families.”
In the past, 800 beds were available, but due to national staffing shortages, there are only 500 beds available in Michigan. Facilities interested in providing care must demonstrate they can care for children, and clearly define their effectiveness.
New contracts will roll out in the summer of 2023.
Applications for the Child Care Stabilization Grant will open from March 22 to May 26. Visit michigan.gov/childcare for more information.
Other headlines for November 30, 2022:
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- Exhibit opens in Detroit featuring artwork celebrating social justice
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