HHS Approves Waiver Allowing Minnesota To Provide Mental Health Screenings for CHIP Beneficiaries
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Oct. 11 approved a waiver that will allow Minnesota officials to expand the state's CHIP program to provide mental health screenings and other mental health services for about 18,000 low-income children who otherwise may not qualify for the program. Under the plan, mental health screenings will be provided for children in the court system, outreach and mental health screenings will be available to homeless children and comprehensive services will be provided for children with special health care needs. The health services initiative will allow social service agencies to make referrals for homeless children and integrate mental health screening into other services for families and children. Minnesota, the first state to provide these services, will use grants paid to providers to fund the health services initiative. "Minnesota is using the flexibility in the law to meet the diverse health and support services needs of Minnesota's most vulnerable children. This initiative will improve the lives of children who otherwise might not receive critical support services," Thompson said (HHS release, 10/11).
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