Two primary care clinics in St. Louis will be able to provide more mental health services with $1.4 million in grants.

The grants total $740,000 for Betty Jean Kerr People's Health Centers in St. Louis city and county and $700,000 for the North County Community Health Center in Pine Lawn and the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton.

The grants were awarded by the Regional Health Commission and the Episcopal Presbyterian Health Trust to help the clinics add mental health care to their services.

Providing mental health services in the clinics could reduce visits to emergency rooms in crisis situations. Most of the people treated in the  clinics don't have health insurance.

The St. Louis County health department is expected to add more behavioral health specialists to its staff.