Rapid Response to Recovery – Crisis Transportation Support
Rapid Response to Recovery – Crisis Transportation Support funds Kentucky community mental health centers’ transportation pilots to improve timely, safe, and dignified access to inpatient psychiatric care.
Funder: Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services
Due Dates: October 23, 2026 (Application packet submission) | November 6, 2026 (Receipt of applications)
Funding Amounts: Up to $715,000 per CMHC across two budget periods ending June 30, 2028
Summary: Funds Kentucky community mental health centers’ crisis transportation pilots to improve timely, safe, and dignified access to inpatient psychiatric care.
Key Information: Only Kentucky’s 14 Community Mental Health Centers (Provider Type 30) may apply; formal transportation partnerships are required.
Description
This competitive opportunity supports behavioral health crisis transportation pilots led by Kentucky’s community mental health centers (CMHCs), particularly addressing rural transportation barriers. It is jointly released by the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) and Kentucky Rural Health Transformation’s Rapid Response to Recovery initiative. Involuntary transportation under KRS Chapter 202A is the primary focus; voluntary transportation may be a secondary, complementary component.
Pilots will establish dedicated transportation capacity within regional crisis systems, improve referrals and receiving-facility handoffs, and reduce burdens on law enforcement, EMS, and hospitals. Funding supports staffing, training, vehicles, dispatch technology, operations, partner coordination, and data collection. The program will test geographic and operating approaches, support continuous quality improvement, and develop evidence for sustainable financing and possible statewide expansion.
