mental health

This week, the Maine Senate gave initial approval to a bill that could allow the state to lift a 16-bed cap at mental health facilities.

The Maine Department of Education says that the funding will go to 9 districts, which were found to have fewer mental health staffers than the rest of the state.

Maine's mental health system has been under duress for decades. The state is still working to meet the terms of a Consent Decree from 1990 that requires it to maintain comprehensive services.

On Thanksgiving day, Justin Butterfield was arrested and charged with the murder of his brother, Gabe Damour. Butterfield's friends say that for years, they tried in vain to get him effective treatment for schizophrenia. Now, they hope the story of what happened will lead to changes in Maine's mental health system.

A growing number of Americans say they're concerned about climate change. And as the impacts worsen, experts say it will have an equally profound effect on mental health. A new program on Mount Desert Island attempts to address both.

The ex-girlfriend of Justin Butterfield said that over the last three years, he has been hospitalized at least eight times after paranoid and sometimes violent behavior, only to be released within days. Yet even after Butterfield reportedly set a building on fire and put his own life in danger, she said hospitals never tried to involuntarily commit him or seek court-order treatment.

The goal is to minimize interactions between law enforcement and those experiencing mental health challenges and to free up more time for city police, Bangor officials say.

Maine will be ready July 16 to implement 988 as a new number for mental health emergencies.

Nearly a dozen Cumberland County projects and nonprofits will share $7 million in American Rescue Plan Funding. The money will be used to create more affordable housing, provide food security, childcare and mental health services.

The program — the Maine Pediatric and Behavioral Health Partnership — launched in March of this year with the support of a $1.8 million federal grant.