Mental Health Package to Reauthorize SAMHSA Programs
A new bipartisan mental health package hit the House floor May 6, backed by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and known as the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act.
The act would reauthorize several Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration programs to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in the U.S., such as suicide prevention programs, maternal health screenings, and supporting grants for tribal communities and pediatric populations to receive mental health services.
SAMHSA would also be required to establish a Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office to address youth mental health crises through community services and substance abuse recovery programs, funded at $5 million annually from FY 2023 through 2027.
The package would also establish a Mental Health Crisis Partnership Pilot Program at $10 million annually from FY 2023 through FY 2027.
The act was included in a markup hearing on Wednesday held by the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“The nation, in particular children and young people, face a growing mental health and substance use crisis, experiencing increasing challenges, and barriers to care and services,” said Pallone.
According to Pallone, the final package recognizes the need to limit new spending and avoid creating new initiatives that merely duplicate existing programs.
“It is a package that represents [the] shared recognition that we must rise to the moment to provide support and resources for our communities who are suffering,” said Pallone.
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