The 85th Texas Legislature will not make cuts to mental health care funding—despite having to make cuts in other areas, according to an agency official.

Gov. Greg Abbott and state leadership have asked state agencies to scale back funding requests by 4 percent in the 85th legislative session because of anticipated budget deficits related to the drop in the price of oil, said Annalee Gulley, director of public policy and government affairs for Mental Health America of Greater Houston.

During the 84th session, the Texas Legislature increased mental health funds by $298 million.

“While we’ve seen funding increases for mental and behavioral health services during the past two legislative sessions, the allocated resources were simply not sufficient to compensate for the historic underfunding of state-provided mental health and behavioral health services, especially when coupled with Texas’ rapid population growth,” Gulley said.

Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare is one of 39 community mental health centers in the state; it serves the growing populations of Montgomery, Liberty and Walker counties. During the fiscal year 2015-16, the center served more than 9,200 patients, Executive Director Evan Roberson said.

“We are serving a record number of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, serious emotional disturbances and intellectual developmental disabilities, but there is still much additional demand for the services we provide,” Roberson said. “Without additional funding, it will be difficult to meet [the] growing demand for our services.”

Of those 9,200 patients, Roberson said 91 percent of patient admissions to the Psychiatric Emergency Treatment Center had no insurance for mental health services, while 78 percent of admissions to the center’s main mental health clinic in Conroe were likewise medically indigent.

“We are exploring ways to increase Medicaid-insurance eligibility for the persons we serve, which will allow us to serve more [patients] with the same state general revenue dollars,” Roberson said.

Gulley said prevention is the most cost-efficient tool to ensure individual wellness, and Medicaid expansion is the top goal for mental health care funds approved after the next legislative session.

“While we are encouraged state leaders have prioritized funding for mental health resources, we anticipate a tough road ahead for all funding requests in the 85th Legislature,” Gulley said.