Health Care Capacity for Pediatric Mental Health Act of 2022

To expand the availability of mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Health Care Capacity for Pediatric Mental Health Act of 2022 2. Programs to support pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care Subpart V of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 256 et seq. 340A–1. Program to support pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care integration and coordination (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of supporting pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care integration and coordination to meet local community needs in underserved and high-need communities. (b) Eligible entities Entities eligible for grants under subsection (a) include— (1) children’s hospitals; (2) facilities that provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services in partial hospital, day treatment, intensive outpatient program, or walk-in crisis assessment program settings; and (3) other entities providing trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services, as the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Prioritization In making awards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall prioritize— (1) applicants that demonstrate plans to utilize funds to expand access to integrated care and care coordination for the prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of pediatric mental health disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders in high-need, rural, or underserved communities; (2) applicants that demonstrate plans to coordinate with and complement initiatives to improve pediatric mental health and substance use disorder care implemented through other Federal programs; and (3) applicants that demonstrate a significant role in care for children in the region. (d) Use of funds Activities that may be funded through an award under subsection (a) include— (1) increasing the capacity of eligible entities to integrate trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services, including through telehealth access to, and co-location of, mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health providers; (2) facilitating access to trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services in partial hospital, day treatment, intensive outpatient program, or walk-in crisis assessment program settings, in order to prevent hospitalizations and support children as they transition back to their homes and communities; (3) supporting the collection of data on pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care needs, service utilization and availability, and demographic data, to identify unmet needs and barriers in access to care, in a manner that protects personal privacy, consistent with applicable Federal and State privacy laws; (4) establishing or maintaining community-based pediatric mental health and substance use disorder partnerships, such as partnerships with schools, early childhood education programs, community-based organizations, and community-based mental health and substance use disorder care providers, to address identified gaps in access to care; and (5) training for non-clinical pediatric health care workers, including care coordinators, community health workers, and navigators, on providing trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate care for pediatric mental health disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders, and on local resources to support children and their caregivers. (e) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. 340A–2. Pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health workforce training program (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of supporting evidence-based pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health workforce training. (b) Eligible entities Entities eligible for grants under subsection (a) include— (1) children’s hospitals; (2) facilities that provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services in partial hospital, day treatment, intensive outpatient program, or walk-in crisis assessment program settings, that can prevent hospitalizations and support children as they transition back to their homes and communities; and (3) other entities providing trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services, as the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Prioritization In making awards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall prioritize applicants that serve high-need, rural, or underserved communities, and that demonstrate plans to utilize funds to expand access to prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of pediatric mental health disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders. (d) Use of funds Activities that may be supported through an award under subsection (a) include expanded training to enhance the capabilities of the existing workforce, including primary care providers, pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, counselors, and other health care providers, as the Secretary determines appropriate, to provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate care for pediatric mental health disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders. (e) Reporting (1) Reports from award recipients Not later than 180 days after the completion of activities funded by an award under this section, the entity that received such award shall submit a report to the Secretary on the activities conducted using funds from such award, and other information as the Secretary may require. (2) Reports to Congress Not later than 180 days after receiving reports from all award recipients, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the projects and activities conducted with funds awarded under this section, and the outcome of such projects and activities. Such report shall include— (A) the number of projects supported by awards made under this section; (B) an overview of the impact, if any, of such projects on access to pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services; (C) recommendations for improving the investment program under this section; and (D) any other considerations as the Secretary determines appropriate. (f) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. . 3. Increasing Federal investment in pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services The Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 201 et seq. XXXIV Assistance for modernization of pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care infrastructure 3401. Increasing Federal investment in pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of improving their ability to provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services, including by— (1) constructing or modernizing sites of care for trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services; (2) expanding capacity to provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services, including enhancements to digital infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other improvements to patient care infrastructure; and (3) supporting the reallocation of existing resources to accommodate pediatric mental, emotional, and behavioral health and substance use disorder patients, including by converting or adding sufficient capacity to establish or increase the entity’s inventory of licensed and operational, trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health care programs, such as partial hospital, day treatment, intensive outpatient programs, or walk-in crisis assessment programs, in order to prevent hospitalizations and support children as they transition back to their homes and communities. (b) Eligible entities Entities eligible for grants under subsection (a) include— (1) children’s hospitals; (2) facilities that provide trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services in partial hospital, day treatment, intensive outpatient program, or walk-in crisis assessment program settings, that can prevent hospitalizations and support children as they transition back to their homes and communities; and (3) other entities providing trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate intensive pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder health services, as the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Prioritization In making awards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall prioritize applicants that serve high-need, rural, or underserved communities, and that demonstrate plans to utilize funds to expand access to prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of pediatric mental health disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders. (d) Supplement, not supplant Funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in this section. (e) Reporting (1) Reports from award recipients Not later than 180 days after the completion of activities funded by an award under this section, the entity that received such award shall submit a report to the Secretary on the activities conducted using funds from such award, and other information as the Secretary may require. (2) Reports to Congress Not later than 180 days after receiving reports from all award recipients under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the projects and activities conducted with funds awarded under this section, and the outcome of such projects and activities. Such report shall include— (A) the number of projects supported by awards made under this section; (B) an overview of the impact, if any, of such projects on pediatric health care infrastructure, including any impact on access to pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder health services; (C) recommendations for improving the investment program under this section; and (D) any other considerations as the Secretary determines appropriate. (f) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. .

Summary: Health Care Capacity for Pediatric Mental Health Act of 2022 This bill establishes programs to support the provision of pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder services, particularly in underserved and other high-need areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration must award funding to children's hospitals and other facilities that provide such pediatric services for integrating and coordinating the provision of services to meet community needs, workforce training, and constructing new sites of care or otherwise expanding capacity at existing sites to provide services.