Availability of Care for Older Adults in Outpatient Behavioral Health Facilities

Behavioral health (BH) conditions are rising among older adults, who are less likely to receive mental health (MH) or substance use disorder (SUD) treatment compared to younger adults. This study examined the availability of care for older adults in outpatient BH facilities across the United States both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis examined the proportion of facilities that offer outpatient BH services that accept older adults, accept Medicare, and/or offer programs tailored for older adults and explored whether certain facility characteristics are associated with these practices. For example, the study found that most facilities that provided outpatient BH services accepted older adults, but only about one-third of mental health (MH) and substance use treatment facilities offered programs specifically tailored for this population. The qualitative analysis identified multi-level factors influencing access to and provision of outpatient BH services for older adults, including state and federal policies and systemic barriers to treatment.