$39.4M earmarked for grants addressing SUD, mental health

Photo: John Baggaley/Getty Images

Funding opportunities for grant programs addressing behavioral health are being made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to the tune of $39.4 million, the agency said.

The grants were framed as part of a larger administration-wide push to address both the opioid epidemic and the country's mental health crisis – both pillars of President Biden's Unity Agenda.

The awards facilitate ongoing efforts to advance HHS' Overdose Prevention Strategy, which is focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. They also support the White House's mental health strategy, as well as the National Drug Control Strategy.

"We are building a truly integrated, equitable and accessible behavioral healthcare system," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "Our efforts to change the way mental health is viewed and treated in this country are making it possible for more people to get the care and support they need."

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

Of the funding, $6 million will go toward Building Communities of Recovery. This program helps to mobilize and connect a broad array of community-based resources to increase the availability and quality of long-term recovery support for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD). Recipients will be expected to support the development, enhancement, expansion and delivery of recovery support services directly to individuals, as well as to advance the promotion of and education about recovery at a community level.

• $6 million will go to Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care: States. The program promotes integration and collaboration between behavioral health and primary physical healthcare providers. It also supports bi-directional integrated care models that improve wellness and better manage illness across physical and behavioral health. Additionally, it works to improve the delivery of evidence-based screening, assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and recovery services for mental health conditions and SUDs, and co-occurring physical health conditions and chronic diseases through integrated care.
• $15.2 million is slated for Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness, which helps implement new Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs in communities to support adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who meet state-specific criteria for AOT. Recipients are expected to implement a multidisciplinary AOT program, working with courts, community partners and other entities to support and facilitate community-based treatment. 
• $5.2 million is earmarked for Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care: Collaborative Care Model, which improves care for mental and substance use conditions in primary care settings. With this program, SAMHSA aims to increase the identification and treatment of mental health conditions for individuals who access care through primary care practices.
• $4.6 million will go to Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) Grant Program. This program aims to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12 to 20 in communities throughout the U.S. Award recipients will be expected to implement activities that support capacity-building, such as implementing evidence-based community approaches; enhancing collaboration, cooperation and coordination among communities, federal, state, local and tribal governments; and convening town halls. 
• Finally, the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program will receive $2.4 million. It supports a comprehensive public health and evidence-based approach that enhances behavioral health services for all college students, including those at risk for suicide, depression, SMI, serious emotional disturbances (SED) and/or SUD that can lead to school failure; prevents and reduces suicide and mental disorders and SUD; promotes help-seeking behavior and reduces stigma; and improves the identification and treatment of at-risk college students so they can successfully complete their studies.

THE LARGER TREND

In 2023, HHS and SAMHSA awarded almost $48 million in grants to combat multiple facets of substance misuse and the nation's opioid epidemic. 

The grant awards are part of ongoing federal efforts in prevention, treatment, recovery support and harm reduction – the pillars of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy. The Overdose Prevention Strategy is meant to advance the Biden administration's National Drug Control Strategy, which delivers on the call to action in President Biden's Unity Agenda for a whole-of-government approach to beat the overdose epidemic.

That isn't the first time HHS has allocated grant funding to programs geared toward addressing the opioid crisis. In September 2022, HHS awarded more than $1.6 billion in investments for communities throughout the country to address the addiction and overdose crisis.

ON THE RECORD

"The department remains committed to ensuring we can connect more Americans to the care they need, and integrating behavioral health into our communities and primary care systems is critical to meeting people where they are," said Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. "The resources SAMHSA is announcing today further demonstrate our commitment to improving access to behavioral healthcare."
 

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.