Nashville – Gov. Phil Bredesen today joined Commissioner of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Virginia Trotter Betts to announce a $11.4 million partnership with community mental health agencies from across Tennessee that will benefit nearly 20,000 Tennesseans.

In the most recent of efforts under Gov. Bredesen’s Health Care Safety Net, Tennessee will provide the funding for 20 community-based, nonprofit mental health agencies to continue key mental health services for patients with severe mental illnesses who will come off TennCare, the state’s financially troubled public health program.

“I want to thank the community mental health agencies who are partnering with the State to make these core services available to individuals coming off TennCare,” Gov. Bredesen said. “While I have had to make some difficult decisions about TennCare, I believe these and other services will truly strengthen our health care safety net in Tennessee.”

The Department of Mental Health encourages Tennesseans with severe mental illnesses coming off TennCare to register with participating agencies for the Mental Health Safety Net in order to immediately begin receiving key services, including assessment, evaluation, diagnostic, therapeutic intervention, psychiatric medication management and certain laboratory services.

“While this is a more limited set of mental health services than were once covered under TennCare, evidence shows these are the core, vital services that people with serious mental illness must retain to continue leading functional, productive lives,” Ms. Betts said. “We have worked extensively with community agencies across the state, those providers who are on the front lines of mental health, to ensure that Tennesseans continue to receive these services.”

Additionally, as part of a broader Safety Net initiative, Tennesseans may also register for a patient assistance program to receive certain free generic drugs, as well as a drug discount program to receive discounted generic and brand-name medicines. More information about these medication programs is available by calling the “Health Options Hotline,” 888.486.9355.

Both initiatives belong to Bredesen’s Health Care Safety Net, which he established in June 2005 with the signing of his 2005-2006 budget and its appropriation of $ 115 million to strengthen health care options in conjunction with reforms to TennCare.