IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Share your experiences, hear from peers and learn how to elevate your advocacy during Hill Day at Home, our annual advocacy event uniting thousands of people online to advocate on important legislation. Last year, Hill Day at Home resulted in 5,273 advocacy actions and 416 members of Congress being reached. Don’t miss your chance to make a mark this year – join us on Tuesday, October 19, to raise the volume on mental health and substance use issues!
Report: CCBHCs and the Justice Systems
At the request of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness (Task Force), the National Council created a report discussing how states and localities utilize the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model to partner with various divisions of the justice systems, with recommendations for states as more policymakers begin to implement the model through legislative and executive actions. The Task Force seeks to identify a new model that creates a team to “triage” a case once it is filed in court, much like a patient within an emergency department. The CCBHC model holds the potential to play a significant role in triaging cases to screen, diagnose and treat clients to better support them and the courts in every state.
SAMHSA Announces New Youth Mental Health Grants and Funding
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced $74.2 million in grant funding for a pair of programs that seek to support youth mental health services. Click here to view recipients for Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) and here to view recipients of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families Program. Additionally, HHS announced a $10.7 million funding tranche from the American Rescue Plan Act that seeks to expand pediatric mental health care access through telehealth services.
HHS to Maintain Provider Relief Fund Reporting Deadline
Last week, HHS held two brief stakeholder calls in which the agency announced that provider relief recipients have 35 days to submit documentation detailing how they used their funding to cover lost revenue during the pandemic. Providers who received a minimum of $10,000 before June 30, 2020, have a reporting deadline of September 30, 2021, and they will have to return unspent funds by October 30.
Biden Administration Announces Policy Changes to Boost Housing Supply
The Biden Administration recently announced a series of policies that seek to increase the supply of affordable housing throughout the U.S. The White House plans to partner with state and local governments to explore federal levers that could help reduce “exclusionary zoning,” as well as leverage block grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address supply and affordability issues. Additional housing policies from today’s announcement include: (1) relaunching the federal financing bank and HUD Risk Sharing program; (2) expanding the exclusivity period for HUD and the Enterprises’ Real Estate Owned (REO) sales; (3) improving outreach to nonprofits for REO sales; and (4) prioritizing homeownership in the sale of properties insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
ADVOCACY CORNER
Take Action at Hill Day at Home. On Tuesday, October 19, Hill Day at Home advocates will reach out to their members of Congress to educate them on the needs of mental health and substance use treatment providers and organizations. You can be a part of the movement, too! When the time comes, act on our Hill Day asks – and remember to customize this language so legislators hear your story in your words.
HAPPENING ON THE HILL
Proclamation on Overdose Awareness Week, 2021. President Biden recently proclaimed August 29 through September 4, 2021, as Overdose Awareness Week, in recognition of substance use disorders and in an effort to strengthen the prevention of overdoses.
New Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formally established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE).
Guest Author
Policy Associate