As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted the progress his administration has made in expanding access to mental health care across the commonwealth, from doubling the number of licensed mental health providers in the state to implementing services like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health, and Team Kentucky is taking action to expand access and help people of all ages feel supported through quality care,” Beshear said in a news release. “While May is Mental Health Awareness Month, this work is a yearlong effort for my administration, and we’re going to build on the progress we’ve made to protect more lives. To our fellow Kentuckians, please remember that it’s OK to not be OK — and more important, there is help.”
Since launching the three-digit mental health crisis hotline in 2022, the 988 Lifeline in Kentucky has fielded 265,000 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 seconds. There has been a 30% increase in calls routed to in-state centers in the past year alone, meaning more Kentuckians are being helped by Kentuckians, according to the release.
Further, the release notes that in 2025, 17,000 Kentuckians received crisis services from community mental health centers, mobile crisis response, walk-in care and crisis stabilization.
Beshear has also signed multiple pieces of legislation to expand mental health access and coverage for Kentuckians.
During the 2026-2028 budget session, Beshear signed House Bill 169, which requires health plans to cover the costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, and HB 178, which defines a psychiatric collaborative care model in Kentucky that seeks to provide reimbursement and coverage for mental health treatments.
He also signed legislation supporting mental health in 2022, including HB65, which expanded telehealth to include mental health services; HB 127, which increased access to assisted outpatient treatment for those with severe mental illness; and HB 44, which has allowed students to take mental health days.
Further, 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. We believe healthcare is a basic right, and that includes mental healthcare,” Coleman said in the release. “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.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, confidential, free, 24/7/365 help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
