Suicide Prevention Assistance Act
Bill: H.R.2648 | Sponsor: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark (D-CA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide Prevention Assistance Act
This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to primary care offices for self-harm and suicide prevention services, including screenings. SAMHSA must also develop standards of practice for conducting such screenings.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to 
   provide self-harm and suicide prevention services in primary care 
                    offices, 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 ``Suicide Prevention Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO PROVIDE SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICES.

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

``SEC. 520N. GRANTS TO PROVIDE SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE PREVENTION 
              SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
Use (referred to in this section as the `Secretary'), shall award 
grants to primary care offices to provide self-harm and suicide 
prevention services.
    ``(b) Activities Supported.--A primary care office awarded a grant 
under subsection (a) shall use amounts under the grant to carry out the 
following:
            ``(1) The primary care office shall hire one or more 
        clinical social workers to carry out the activities described 
        in paragraphs (2) through (4).
            ``(2) A primary care physician at the primary care office 
        shall screen patients for self-harm and suicide in accordance 
        with the standards of practice described in subsection (f)(1) 
        and shall, as appropriate, notify a clinical social worker 
        hired under paragraph (1) of screenings that yield an indicator 
        of self-harm or suicide.
            ``(3) A clinical social worker hired under paragraph (1) 
        shall provide patients short-term self-harm and suicide 
        prevention services in accordance with the results of the 
        screenings described in paragraph (2).
            ``(4) A clinical social worker hired under paragraph (1) 
        shall, as appropriate, refer patients to a health care facility 
        for purposes of receiving long-term self-harm and suicide 
        prevention services.
    ``(c) Maximum Number of Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not award more than 10 
        grants under subsection (a).
            ``(2) With respect to a primary care office.--A primary 
        care office may not be awarded more than 1 grant under 
        subsection (a).
            ``(3) With respect to a state.--Not more than 1 primary 
        care office in any State may be awarded a grant under 
        subsection (a).
    ``(d) Grant Terms.--A grant awarded under subsection (a)--
            ``(1) may not exceed $500,000;
            ``(2) shall be for a period of 2 years; and
            ``(3) may be renewed subject to the requirements of this 
        section.
    ``(e) Applications.--A primary care office seeking a grant under 
subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may require.
    ``(f) Standards of Practice.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop 
        standards of practice for screening patients for self-harm and 
        suicide for purposes of carrying out subsection (b)(2).
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall develop the 
        standards of practice described in paragraph (1) in 
        consultation with stakeholder groups with expertise in self-
        harm and suicide prevention, including public, private, and 
        non-profit entities.
    ``(g) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Reports to the secretary.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A primary care office awarded a 
                grant under subsection (a) shall, at least quarterly 
                for the duration of the grant, submit to the Secretary 
                a report evaluating the activities supported by the 
                grant.
                    ``(B) Matters to be included.--The report required 
                under subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            ``(i) the number of patients receiving--
                                    ``(I) screenings carried out at the 
                                primary care office;
                                    ``(II) short-term self-harm and 
                                suicide prevention services at the 
                                primary care office; and
                                    ``(III) referrals to health care 
                                facilities for the purposes of 
                                receiving long-term self-harm and 
                                suicide prevention;
                            ``(ii) information on the adherence of the 
                        primary care office to the standards of 
                        practice described in subsection (f)(1); and
                            ``(iii) other information as the Secretary 
                        determines appropriate to evaluate the use of 
                        grant funds.
            ``(2) Reports to congress and in the department of health 
        and human services.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, and biennially thereafter, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees and the subcomponents of the Department of Health 
        and Human Services described in paragraph (3) a report on the 
        grant program under this section, including--
                    ``(A) a summary of reports received by the 
                Secretary under paragraph (1); and
                    ``(B) an evaluation of the program by the 
                Secretary.
            ``(3) Reporting in the department of health and human 
        services.--The subcomponents of the Department of Health and 
        Human Services described in paragraph (2) are the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of 
        Mental Health.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        `appropriate congressional committees' means--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives; and
                    ``(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
                and Pensions of the Senate.
            ``(2) Primary care office.--The term `primary care office' 
        means a health care facility that provides primary care 
        services.
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' means--
                    ``(A) a State;
                    ``(B) the District of Columbia;
                    ``(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; or
                    ``(D) any other territory or possession of the 
                United States.''.
                                 <all>