PATHS Act
Bill: S.2873 | Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. (D-DE)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act or the PATHS Act
This bill establishes grants to increase access to trauma support and mental health care for individuals who have experienced gun violence in communities with higher rates of violence-related deaths than the national average.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must award the grants to nonprofit or community organizations, government agencies, or health care institutions that offer mental health services. In awarding these grants, SAMHSA may give preference to community health centers, federally qualified health centers, and applicants proposing to work in partnership with other eligible entities.

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
 to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to 
  high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health 
                     care, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing and Addressing Trauma 
with Health Services Act'' or the ``PATHS Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY COMPETENT TRAUMA SUPPORT AND 
              MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

    Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 553. GRANTS FOR HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY COMPETENT TRAUMA SUPPORT 
              AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary and in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
agencies, shall award grants to eligible entities to establish or 
expand programs and activities for the purpose of increasing access to 
high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care 
for covered individuals in covered communities.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
section, an entity shall be--
            ``(1) a nonprofit or community-based program or 
        organization that--
                    ``(A) provides or has developed plans to provide 
                culturally competent programs and resources that are 
                aligned with evidence-based or evidence-informed 
                practices for trauma-informed mental health care; and
                    ``(B) has demonstrated expertise in serving covered 
                communities;
            ``(2) a Federal, State, or local agency, such as a public 
        health, mental health, law enforcement, or social services 
        agency, that conducts activities (which may be through 
        partnering with a nonprofit or community-based organization) 
        to, in a covered community, screen individuals for mental 
        health needs, assess such needs, and provide mental health 
        services or referrals to such services; or
            ``(3) a hospital, health care clinic, or other health care 
        institution that provides to a covered community culturally 
        competent programs, mental health services, and resources that 
        are aligned with evidence-based or evidence-informed practices 
        for trauma-informed mental health care.
    ``(c) Applications; Preference; Period.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity desiring a grant 
        under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application 
        at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
        as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(2) Preference.--In selecting applicants for a grant 
        under this section, the Secretary may give preference to 
        eligible entities that--
                    ``(A) demonstrate they have established a 
                partnership with another eligible entity or service 
                provider in a covered community; or
                    ``(B) are community health centers or federally 
                qualified health centers.
            ``(3) Period.--Each grant awarded under this section shall 
        be for a period of 5 years, with equal amounts awarded to the 
        recipient through the grant for each of such 5 years.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
subsection (a)--
            ``(1) shall use the funds to increase access to or provide 
        evidence-based or evidence-informed, trauma-informed mental 
        health services to covered individuals in a covered community; 
        and
            ``(2) may use the grant funds to--
                    ``(A) establish and maintain programming to provide 
                culturally competent mental health services;
                    ``(B) hire and retain mental health care providers;
                    ``(C) train mental health care providers on 
                culturally competent trauma-informed care strategies;
                    ``(D) develop strategies and projects to enhance 
                access to trauma-informed care and resources for 
                covered individuals in a covered community;
                    ``(E) establish partnerships with other eligible 
                entities to develop and enhance effective strategies to 
                provide trauma-informed mental health services to 
                covered individuals in a covered community;
                    ``(F) develop strategies and training for law 
                enforcement officers or other first responders to 
                provide referral services to covered individuals in a 
                covered community to trauma-informed mental health 
                services;
                    ``(G) build public awareness and education about 
                trauma-informed mental health services in a covered 
                community; and
                    ``(H) build public awareness and education in a 
                covered community about the importance of addressing 
                trauma resulting from gun violence.
    ``(e) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) Grant recipient requirements.--An eligible entity 
        that receives a grant under this section shall--
                    ``(A) develop metrics and key performance 
                indicators to assess outcomes achieved by programs or 
                activities funded through such grant; and
                    ``(B) not later than the date that is 2 years after 
                the day on which the entity receives such grant, and 1 
                year after such date, submit to the Secretary a report 
                that details--
                            ``(i) the metrics and key performance 
                        indicators used to assess outcomes achieved by 
                        such programs or activities;
                            ``(ii) the process used to identify and 
                        develop such metrics and key performance 
                        indicators; and
                            ``(iii) an assessment of the outcomes 
                        achieved by such programs or activities.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than the date that is 
        3 years after the date of enactment of this section, and each 
        year thereafter through fiscal year 2026, the Secretary shall 
        conduct an evaluation of the programs or activities funded by a 
        grant under this section and submit a report of the results of 
        such evaluation to Congress.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered community.--The term `covered community' 
        means a community that has an age-adjusted rate of violence-
        related (or intentional) injury deaths that is above the 
        national average, as determined by the Director of the Centers 
        for Disease Control and Prevention.
            ``(2) Covered individual.--The term `covered individual' 
        means an individual who has been injured, has witnessed, has 
        been threatened, has been exposed to, or has been otherwise 
        impacted by gun violence within the 5 years preceding the date 
        of enactment of this section.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026.''.
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