Federal Cuts Hit Mental Health Infrastructure

The nation’s mental health infrastructure is buckling as more funding and positions are cut from the federal agency that was created to address the needs of Americans suffering from psychological and substance abuse disorders.

Between 140 and 160 people lost their jobs at the Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)  in recent weeks, according to the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health. This leaves about 300 staff members managing an agency to oversee an $8.1 billion budget and coordinate programs and manage grants across the country. The agency has managed the 988 crisis hotline and supported research into substance abuse disorders.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a national nonprofit, said the cuts were “deeply alarming.”

“The United States is in the midst of an ongoing mental health, overdose, and suicide crisis, one of the most widespread and enduring public health challenges of our time,” NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. said in a stat…