The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recently announced $46.8 million in notices of funding opportunities to promote youth mental health, grow the behavioral health workforce, improve access to culturally competent behavioral care across the country, and strengthen peer recovery and recovery support. Tackling the mental health crisis and beating the opioid epidemic are key pillars in the nation’s Unity Agenda.

The May 8 announcement will help communities transform how they address behavioral health.

This critical funding supports the government’s efforts to address the mental health and overdose crises, as well as furthers HHS’s Overdose Prevention Strategy. The grants additionally fuel each of SAMHSA’s strategic priorities for the agency: preventing substance use and overdose, enhancing access to suicide prevention and mental health services, promoting resilience and emotional health for children, youth, and families, integrating behavioral and physical health care, and strengthening the behavioral health workforce.

“Continuing to invest in informed and equitable approaches to mental health and substance use is essential to the health and well-being of individuals and families,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These grants directly impact the behavioral health of communities around the nation and are a critical part of the commitment …to enhancing accessibility of evidence-based, effective behavioral health care services.”

“We are pleased to announce nearly $50 million in funding opportunities, a significant investment in strengthening the quality of and access to behavioral health services and supports across the country,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “This funding will improve the quality of care for underserved populations, support suicide prevention and early intervention strategies for young people, make significant contributions to the integration of primary and behavioral health care, and provide essential training and technical assistance to those working in the field.”

The funding opportunities invest in a range of critical behavioral health efforts:

• Minority Fellowship Program – $15.4 million – This program aims to reduce health disparities and improve behavioral health care outcomes for racial and ethnic populations. The program also seeks to train and better prepare behavioral health practitioners to more effectively treat and serve people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Cooperative Agreements for the Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Program – $14.9 million – This program supports states and tribes with implementing youth (up to age 24) suicide prevention and early intervention strategies in schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance use and mental health programs, foster care systems, pediatric health programs, and other child and youth-serving organizations.
• Addiction Technology Transfer Centers Cooperative Agreements – $9.0 million – This program develops and strengthens the specialized behavioral health care and primary health care workforce that provides substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support services. This is done by accelerating the adoption and implementation of evidence-based and promising SUD treatment and recovery-oriented practices and services, heightening the awareness, knowledge, and skills of the workforce that addresses the needs of people with substance use or other co-occurring physical and behavioral health conditions, and fostering regional and national alliances among culturally diverse practitioners, researchers, policy makers, funders, and the recovery community.
• The National Center for Mental Health Dissemination, Implementation and Sustainment Cooperative Agreement – $7.5 million – The National Center for Mental Health Dissemination, Implementation, and Sustainment will build the capacity of grant recipients, as well as organizations that oversee or directly provide mental health services, to improve the implementation of evidence-based change management processes that guide mental health services.

Together these, and other HHS programs, are making historic investments in how we address mental health and substance use needs across America.

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 800-662-HELP (4357).

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.