Biden-Harris Administration Announces $68.5 Million Awarded for Behavioral Health Education, Training and Community Programs

Monday, September 30, 2024

Providing critical funding to support of President Biden's Unity Agenda for the Nation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recently awarded $68.5 million in grants that support behavioral health education, training and community programs to help address mental health and substance use conditions in support of the President's Unity Agenda for the Nation.

"Far too many Americans, especially young people, are struggling with behavioral health challenges," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "We are bolstering our health workforce by funding education, training, and community programs so anyone who needs help can get it. Thanks to the Unity Agenda created by President Biden and Vice President Harris, there are more options to receive care than ever before."

"These investments in education, training, and programs that support the behavioral health workforce and services will have a direct and lasting impact on people and communities," said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. "Ultimately, these programs will improve equity and access to mental health and substance use care, and prevention and recovery services for people across the United States."

The awards announced today include:

• $15.4 million for the Minority Fellowship Program to recruit, train and support master's and doctoral-level students in behavioral health care professions to address services disparities for racial and ethnic minority populations;
• $11.5 million for Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Training to recruit and train first responders in rural areas on how to provide trauma-informed, recovery-based care for people with substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD), in emergency situations;
• $15.7 million for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) for community resources, such as civil courts, community partners, and other entities, to implement programs to support community-based treatment for adults with SMI who meet criteria for AOT;
• $9 million for the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers Cooperative Agreements to develop and strengthen the specialized behavioral health care and primary health care workforce that provides SUD treatment and recovery support services;
• $2.7 million for the National Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions to advance primary and behavioral health care integration by providing high-quality, evidence-informed training and technical assistance to health systems, health care providers and members of the public;
• $2.6 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative: Integrated Behavioral Health and HIV Care for Unsheltered Populations Pilot Project to offer behavioral health, HIV treatment and prevention services to underserved populations experiencing unsheltered homelessness;
• $5.4 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative: SUD Prevention and Treatment Pilot Program to provide prevention and treatment services for substance use disorders, HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious diseases like sexually transmitted infections;
• $2.4 million for the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program to assist colleges and universities in enhancing mental health services for all college students, increasing protective factors that promote mental health, and reducing risk factors for suicide to ultimately reduce suicide attempts and deaths ($2.2 million was awarded earlier in the month for this program);
• $1.2 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative - Category III: Community Treatment and Service Centers to increase access to effective trauma- and grief-focused treatment and service systems for children, adolescents and their families, who experience traumatic events;
• $1.6 million for the Syndemic Approach to Prevention to advance equity in health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority communities, especially all Black female identities, including cisgender, transgender, nonbinary and genderqueer/fluid individuals in the South who are experiencing disparities related to HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, substance use and substance use disorders and/or mental health conditions; and
• $1 million for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Improvement and Advancement grant program, to support CCBHCs that have been certified by their states or that participated in a previous CCBHC-Expansion award to further expand or improve their CCBHC services.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).