LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Mark Huizenga on Wednesday will host a press conference to discuss bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would create a framework for Behavioral Health Transportation, including providing Medicaid reimbursement for emergency transport for individuals experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis.

Who:   Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker.

Rep. Steve Frisbie, R-Pennfield.

Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit.

When: 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 13.

Where: Room 405, Michigan State Capitol, 100 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

Brief: Michigan currently doesn’t offer emergency medical transportation for people experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Individuals either wait for an ambulance or are transported by law enforcement.

Senate Bills 927 and 928, along with House Bills 5943 and 5944, which are expected to be introduced this week by Reps. Frisbie and Amos O’Neal, seek to create a better solution by making behavioral health transportation, including interfacility transfers, psychiatric admissions and mental health evaluations, a Medicaid-covered service.

The reform would provide people in crisis with safe and timely transportation from trained professionals.

The bipartisan legislation would also establish standards and protections for how care is delivered, include measures to keep both workers and patients safe, and ensure residents in crisis receive appropriate care while keeping EMS and law enforcement resources available for other emergencies.

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