Title: Improving Access to Mental Health Services Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Improving Access to Mental Health Services Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow National Health Service Corps (NHSC) personnel who are assigned to provide health services in a health professional shortage area to provide services as behavioral and mental health professionals at schools or other community-based settings and at the homes of patients. Services provided pursuant to this bill may count toward completion of obligated service requirements under the NHSC scholarship or loan repayment programs.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2533 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2533

 To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to allow National 
Health Service Corps members to provide obligated service as behavioral 
   and mental health professionals at schools, other community-based 
          settings, or patient homes, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2018

  Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to allow National 
Health Service Corps members to provide obligated service as behavioral 
   and mental health professionals at schools, other community-based 
          settings, or patient homes, 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 ``Improving Access to Mental Health 
Services Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH 
              PROFESSIONALS PROVIDING OBLIGATED SERVICE IN SCHOOLS, 
              OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED SETTINGS, AND PATIENT HOMES.

    Subpart III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 338N. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS PROVIDING 
              OBLIGATED SERVICE IN SCHOOLS, OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED 
              SETTINGS, AND PATIENT HOMES.

    ``(a) Schools and Community-Based Settings.--An entity, to which a 
Corps member is assigned under section 333, may direct such Corps 
member to provide service as a behavioral and mental health 
professional at schools or other community-based settings located in 
health professional shortage areas.
    ``(b) Patient Homes.--An entity, to which a Corps member is 
assigned under section 333, may direct such Corps member to provide 
service as a behavioral and mental health professional through visiting 
the home of a patient located in a health professional shortage area.
    ``(c) Obligated Service.--Any service described in subsection (a) 
or (b) that a Corps member provides may count towards such Corps 
member's completion of any obligated service requirements under the 
Scholarship Program or the Loan Repayment Program. The Secretary shall 
not impose any maximum limitation on the number of hours of service 
described in subsection (a) or (b) that a Corps member may count 
towards completing such obligated service requirements.
    ``(d) Rule of Construction.--The authorization under subsection (a) 
or (b) shall be notwithstanding any other provision of this subpart or 
subpart II.''.
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