Beshear announces nearly $17 million in federal mental health and addiction funding

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 21, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that his administration has secured nearly $17 million in federal funding through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants to support 988 crisis services, youth mental health and addiction recovery.

“Healthcare is a basic human right, and my administration is continuing to take action to expand and protect access to these essential services that save lives,” said Gov. Beshear. “To our fellow Kentuckians who are struggling with mental health or addiction, please remember that it’s OK to not be OK. There is help available, and Team Kentucky will never stop working to make sure you have access to the support you need.”

Projects supported through the grants include:

• 988 Crisis Improvement Project – $7,391,219 to improve Kentucky’s response to all 988 contacts (including calls, chats and texts) originating in the state and bolster service for populations at high risk of suicide and overdose.
• Early identification and treatment for youth experiencing psychosis – $2.6 million to help identify youth and young adults ages 25 and younger who are at clinical high risk for psychosis. The initiative will provide support to prevent the onset of psychosis or lessen the severity of psychotic disorder.
• Expansion of youth behavioral health mobile crisis teams – $3 million to both create and enhance existing mobile crisis teams that serve children, youth and adults experiencing mental health and addiction crises. Through formal partnerships, grantees will divert crisis responses from law enforcement-only to the behavioral health crisis system.
• Doula support for women with addiction – $3,238,083 to strengthen and expand the state’s ability to provide integrated addiction and maternal mental health services for pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) and their families.
• School Crisis Response Network – $600,000 to support schools across Kentucky with crisis preparedness, mental health awareness and connections to care following traumatic events such as disasters, suicide deaths, violence and fatal accidents.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health, and devoting more resources to expand access and service capacity for Kentuckians is important,” said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Dr. Steven Stack. “These dollars will help us strengthen our behavioral health capacity within the state, and in turn help more individuals thrive.”

Addiction and Recovery
Gov. Beshear has prioritized expanding addiction and recovery support, resulting in four straight years of declines in overdose deaths.

Addiction services through Medicaid and the Opioid Response Effort, Narcan distribution, grant funding to addiction treatment organizations, Recovery Ready Communities, reentry services and efforts by the Kentucky State Police and law enforcement to remove dangerous drugs from Kentucky communities have helped Team Kentucky save more lives and help more people overcome addiction.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, call the KY HELP Call Center at 833-8KY-HELP or visit FindHelpNowKy.org to find recovery resources near you.

988 Lifeline and Crisis Support
Since launching the easy-to-remember three-digit mental health crisis hotline in 2022, the 988 Lifeline in Kentucky has fielded 305,000 calls, chats and texts from Kentuckians. The in-state network of 14 community mental health centers has picked up phone calls at an average rate of 25.5 seconds. There has been a 36% increase in calls routed to in-state centers in the past year alone, meaning more Kentuckians are being helped by Kentuckians.

The state has also made it a priority to provide more crisis response options for those in need. In 2025 alone, 17,000 Kentuckians received crisis services from community mental health centers, mobile crisis response, walk-in care and crisis stabilization.

Increased Services for Students
As parents, Gov. Beshear, First Lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman have made it a priority to increase support – including mental health services – for students through their education-first administration.

Since taking office, the Beshear-Coleman administration has awarded more than $40 million in grant funding toward expanding school-based mental health resources at public schools across the commonwealth.

Lt. Gov. Coleman also created and led a successful Student Mental Health Initiative, meeting with and listening to hundreds of Kentucky students about how mental health services can be improved.

“I am proud of the work the Beshear-Coleman administration has done to improve mental health resources throughout Kentucky,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “I knew from my time in the classroom that student mental health was on the verge of being an epidemic. My office has focused on ensuring the future of Kentucky’s economy – our students – have everything they need to flourish.”

Legislation To Increase Support
Gov. Beshear has signed multiple bills to expand mental health services and coverage for Kentuckians.

During the 2026-2028 budget session, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 169, which requires health plans to cover the costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, and House Bill 178, which defines a psychiatric collaborative care model in Kentucky that seeks to provide reimbursement and coverage for mental health treatments.

The Governor also signed legislation supporting mental health in 2022, including House Bill 65, which expanded telehealth to include mental health services; House Bill 127, which increased access to assisted outpatient treatment for those with severe mental illness; and House Bill 44, which has allowed students to take mental health days.