Colorado Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council (MHPAC) to Expand MIssion by Next Year

The Colorado Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council (MHPAC), which is involved in soliciting input and drawing up applications for federal block grant funds, will be morphing into something quite different in the coming year. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that the FY 2012 block grant will combine substance abuse and treatment with the mental health block grant. This will entail responsibility for a much larger amount of money, and a major change in the composition of the Council. The best-case scenario: more cross-pollination between two interrelated but separate operations that should be working more closely together. On the other hand, such a major change could slow down the momentum established by the current Council, which has been operating smoothly and harmoniously for the past several years.