HHS distributing $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds for addiction, mental health block grants

Photo: Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is distributing $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding – the largest aggregate amount of funding to date for its mental health and substance use block grant programs, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Program and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program will disperse $1.5 billion each to states and territories, with the latter also awarding money to a tribe. This follows the March announcement of supplemental funding of nearly $2.5 billion for these programs.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an operating division of HHS, has expedited federal funding to grantees to help communities grappling with mental health and substance use needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mental health block grant program enables states and territories to provide comprehensive community mental health services and address needs and gaps in existing treatment services for those with severe mental health conditions.

The substance abuse and mental health program allows states and territories to plan, implement and evaluate activities to prevent, treat and help more people recover from substance use disorder. The funding will also allow recipients to make investments in existing prevention, treatment and recovery infrastructure, promote support for providers and address unique local needs to deliver substance use disorder services, HHS said.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis have been especially devastating for Black, American Indian, Alaska Native and Hispanic communities, which experienced a disproportionate number of COVID-19 infections and deaths, as well as higher-than-average unemployment rates. 

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations have experienced increased stigma and hate due to COVID-19 anti-Asian rhetoric, which is impacting the behavioral health of these communities, HHS said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preliminary data points to 90,000 overdose deaths for the 12-month period ending in September 2020 – about 20,000 more than the same period the year before. 

CDC data also shows that American adults in June 2020 reported elevated levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use and suicidal ideation. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety was approximately three times those reported in the second quarter of 2019, and prevalence of depression was about four times that reported in the second quarter of 2019.

THE LARGER TREND

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released data highlighting health services received by millions of Medicaid and Children Health Insurance Program beneficiaries during the public health emergency. Despite an overall rebound for most of these services, mental health utilization remains below pre-pandemic levels.

With the nation's mental and substance use disorder needs in mind, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is establishing a new Behavioral Health Coordinating Council. The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Assistant Secretary for Health will serve as the co-chairs of this coordinating body, which is composed of senior leadership from across the department. 

The council's primary goal is to facilitate collaborative, transparent, equitable and action-oriented approaches to addressing HHS' behavioral health agenda.

ON THE RECORD

"Behavioral health is a priority for the Department of Health and Human Services," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the need to invest resources in our nation's mental health and address the inequities that still exist around behavioral healthcare. That's why we are making this historic investment in mental health and substance use services.

"In addition, this national problem calls for department-wide coordination to address the issue. That's why I am convening the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council to work across HHS to facilitate collaboration and strategic planning as we implement our behavioral health agenda."

"Across America, we are seeing a startling rise in mental health and substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine. "We know multiple stressors during the pandemic – isolation, sickness, grief, job loss, food instability and loss of routines – have devastated many Americans and presented the unprecedented behavioral health challenges across the nation.

"Addressing the COVID-19 mental and behavioral health impacts on vulnerable and disenfranchised populations are among the top priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration. Establishing a new Behavioral Health Coordinating Council will assure the right prioritization and guidelines are in place to provide pathways to prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services."

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com