“Imagine you're experiencing mental health crisis, or you're in the hospital and need to be transported to a behavioral health facility. Your options are limited, especially if you have Medicaid.”
State Senator Mark Huizenga a Republican from Walker, along with Democratic Senator Silvia Santana from Detroit and Democratic State Representative Amos O’Neil from Saginaw and Republican State Representative Steve Frisbie from Pennfield who’s a paramedic with four decades of experience say they have a bipartisan solution solving a critical problem.
“There’s a finite number of ambulances available every day and those are not designed to be driving from Battle Creek to Indianapolis for a patient.”
Removing ambulance service for other medical emergencies. The recommendation is to add mental and behavioral health specific transportation including safety and security features and trained staff. This would increase EMS availability.
The bills would also reduce emergency department overcrowding and expand Medicaid coverage for those qualifying for behavioral health services.
The lawmakers say this is a more cost-effective system providing patient dignity and expanding medical resources.