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5306 - Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants

 
Implementation Status 
Statutory Text 

Summary

Provides that the Secretary of HHS may make grants available to higher education institutions for mental and behavioral health education and training programs (e.g., those relating to social work, psychology, etc.).  Sets forth certain priority specifications relative to the awarding of such grants.  Authorizes to be appropriated (but does not delineate a separate Congressional appropriation) for FYs 2010-2013: $8 million for social work training; $12 million for training in graduate psychology of which a minimum of $10 million must be allocated to support doctoral, postdoctoral, and internship level training; $10 million for training in professional child and adolescent mental health; and $5 million for training in paraprofessional child and adolescent work.

Implementation Status

 
Summary 
Statutory Text 

Though Congress did not expressly delineate separate appropriations to fund these grants, HRSA has allocated appropriated funds from the Prevention and Public Health Fund at section 4002 (e.g., see here).  For further details regarding this program, see here.

2014

On Sept. 22, 2014, HHS announced $99 million in grants for mental health training and education. A summary of the grants is available here.

On October 1, 2014, SAMHSA revealed a new strategic plan to increase awareness and understanding of mental health and substance abuse and integrate delivery to meet the needs of those with mental illness, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders. The Agency noted it is working with HRSA and other professional associations to address training, data, and financing issues for behavioral health professions.

On Nov. 6, HRSA distributed $51.3 million in ACA funds to support mental health and substance abuse treatment at health centers across the U.S. See the list of awardees here.

In Nov. SAMHSA and USDA announced that they are partnering with universities, schools, and communities across the country to build local capacity to gather and share behavioral health information. Specifically, data will be collected and shared on existing behavioral health surveillance systems. The information will also help to assess the data necessary to support communities facing different types of behavioral healthcare challenges and existing community partners, as well as how much data will be needed to effectively help meet a community’s behavioral health needs.

On Dec. 16, President Obama signed the federal budget bill authorizing $1.1 trillion to fund most federal agencies through September 30, 2015. SAMHSA received $3.62 billion in total funding which included $1.82 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, $482.6 million for the Mental Health Block Grant, $49.9 million for Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration and $15 million for Mental Health First Aid.

On Dec. 22, SAMHSA announced the availability of $163.2 million over a four-year period to support applications for primary health care and behavioral health integration programs. The purpose of this program is “to provide coordinated and integrated services by co-locating primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and behavioral health settings.” Applications are due Feb. 27, 2015.

2016

On May 9, HRSA announced it is now soliciting applications for the FY 2016 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Paraprofessionals and Professionals program. Applications are due July 1, 2016.

On July 20, HRSA announced $7.1 million in grants to prepare psychologists to use an integrated and inter-professional approach to specifically address the behavioral health needs of under-served and/or rural populations, and to integrate behavioral health into primary care practice.

Statutory Text

 
Implementation Status 
Summary 

SEC. 5306. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND TRAINING GRANTS. (a) IN GENERAL.—Part D of title VII (42 U.S.C. 294 et seq.) is amended by— (1) striking section 757; (2) redesignating section 756 (as amended by section 5103) as section 757; and (3) inserting after section 755 the following: ‘‘SEC. 756 ø42 U.S.C. 294e–1¿. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND TRAINING GRANTS. ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may award grants to eligible institutions of higher education to support the recruitment of students for, and education and clinical experience of the students in— ‘‘(1) baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs of social work, as well as the development of faculty in social work; ‘‘(2) accredited master’s, doctoral, internship, and post-doctoral residency programs of psychology for the development and implementation of interdisciplinary training of psychology graduate students for providing behavioral and mental health services, including substance abuse prevention and treatment services; ‘‘(3) accredited institutions of higher education or accredited professional training programs that are establishing or expanding internships or other field placement programs in child and adolescent mental health in psychiatry, psychology, school psychology, behavioral pediatrics, psychiatric nursing, social work, school social work, substance abuse prevention and treatment, marriage and family therapy, school counseling, or professional counseling; and ‘‘(4) State-licensed mental health nonprofit and for-profit organizations to enable such organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers. ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for a grant under this section, an institution shall demonstrate— ‘‘(1) participation in the institutions’ programs of individuals and groups from different racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, linguistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders and sexual orientations; ‘‘(2) knowledge and understanding of the concerns of the individuals and groups described in subsection (a); ‘‘(3) any internship or other field placement program assisted under the grant will prioritize cultural and linguistic competency; ‘‘(4) the institution will provide to the Secretary such data, assurances, and information as the Secretary may require; and ‘‘(5) with respect to any violation of the agreement between the Secretary and the institution, the institution will pay such liquidated damages as prescribed by the Secretary by regulation. ‘‘(c) INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT.—For grants authorized under subsection (a)(1), at least 4 of the grant recipients shall be historically black colleges or universities or other minority-serving institutions. ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.— ‘‘(1) In selecting the grant recipients in social work under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that— ‘‘(A) are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; ‘‘(B) have a graduation rate of not less than 80 percent for social work students; and ‘‘(C) exhibit an ability to recruit social workers from and place social workers in areas with a high need and high demand population. ‘‘(2) In selecting the grant recipients in graduate psychology under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall give priority to institutions in which training focuses on the needs of vulnerable groups such as older adults and children, individuals with mental health or substance-related disorders, victims of abuse or trauma and of combat stress disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, homeless individuals, chronically ill persons, and their families. ‘‘(3) In selecting the grant recipients in training programs in child and adolescent mental health under subsections (a)(3) and (a)(4), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that— ‘‘(A) have demonstrated the ability to collect data on the number of students trained in child and adolescent mental health and the populations served by such students after graduation or completion of preservice or in-service training; ‘‘(B) have demonstrated familiarity with evidencebased methods in child and adolescent mental health services, including substance abuse prevention and treatment services; ‘‘(C) have programs designed to increase the number of professionals and paraprofessionals serving high-priority populations and to applicants who come from high-priority communities and plan to serve medically underserved populations, in health professional shortage areas, or in medically underserved areas; ‘‘(D) offer curriculum taught collaboratively with a family on the consumer and family lived experience or the importance of family-professional or family-paraprofessional partnerships; and ‘‘(E) provide services through a community mental health program described in section 1913(b)(1). ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.—For the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section— ‘‘(1) $8,000,000 for training in social work in subsection (a)(1); ‘‘(2) $12,000,000 for training in graduate psychology in subsection (a)(2), of which not less than $10,000,000 shall be allocated for doctoral, postdoctoral, and internship level training; ‘‘(3) $10,000,000 for training in professional child and adolescent mental health in subsection (a)(3); and ‘‘(4) $5,000,000 for training in paraprofessional child and adolescent work in subsection (a)(4).’’. (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 757(b)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, as redesignated by subsection (a), is amended by striking ‘‘sections 751(a)(1)(A), 751(a)(1)(B), 753(b), 754(3)(A), and 755(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘sections 751(b)(1)(A), 753(b), and 755(b)’’.

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