Statement from Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. on Second Anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

June 25, 2024

Today marks the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), landmark legislation signed by President Biden that paved the way for an unprecedented investment, including $800 million provided to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to address the nation's mental health crisis and to address the trauma experienced by communities related to gun violence across the United States.

BSCA represents an important step to strengthen the nation's mental health care system, improve access to behavioral health care, and bring supports and services into schools, communities, and areas that have experienced trauma or natural disasters. The funding that SAMHSA received is already making an impact on countless individuals and communities and their stories are impactful.

This supplemental funding is helping to: build capacity for school-based mental health services; expand and enhance the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline services; increase access to comprehensive mental health and substance use services, notably through expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs); increase training for individuals - including teachers, law enforcement and others - to safely and appropriately respond to people experiencing mental health challenges; expand access to effective trauma- and grief-focused treatment and service systems for youth, and their families, who have experienced traumatic events; and promote resilience, trauma-informed approaches, and equity in communities that have faced civil unrest, community violence and/or collective trauma. These efforts are critical at a time when more individuals are experiencing trauma after the disruption and loss of life caused by more frequent and severe natural and human-caused disasters and mass trauma events, including from gun violence.

We appreciate the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress' continued support. We know we have so much more work to do. The country continues to face an unprecedented mental health crisis - a crisis that knows no bounds. We will remain committed to bringing mental health supports and services into all communities, so that individuals of all ages and all backgrounds can be connected to the behavioral health supports and services they need to support their recovery journeys, and to thrive!

Today, we celebrate the positive impact of this historic legislation, but also renew SAMHSA's commitment to enhance mental health services and provide treatment and supports to foster recovery while ensuring access and better outcomes nationwide.