Help for Healing Communities Act

Bill: 117-hr-7537
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6]
Introduced: 2022-04-18
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2022-04-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-04-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Help for Healing Communities Act</strong></p> <p>This bill establishes a program through which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration may award grants to support mental and behavioral health services for survivors of active shooter events and incidents of targeted violence. Eligible grant recipients include state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and nonprofits located in or serving a community that experienced an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence in the preceding fiscal year.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7537 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 18, 2022 Mrs. McBath (for herself, Mr. Neguse , Ms. Escobar , Mr. Carson , Mr. Cicilline , Mr. Deutch , Mrs. Hayes , Mr. Horsford , and Ms. Williams of Georgia ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to eligible entities to provide community-based mental health services in communities in which an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence occurred, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Help for Healing Communities Act . 2. Community-based mental health services for gun violence survivors Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 290bb–31 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after section 520A ( 42 U.S.C. 290bb–32 ) the following: 520A–1. Community-based mental health services for gun violence survivors (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary (referred to in this section as the Secretary ), shall establish a program under which the Secretary may award grants to eligible entities, to provide a means for communities in which an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence occurs— (1) to prioritize mental and behavioral health of survivors of active shooter events and incidents of targeted violence through establishing evidence-based, violence prevention, and community engagement programs to support survivors of such an event or incident; and (2) to ensure equitable access to high-quality trauma-informed behavioral health services through the use of evidence-based materials, practices, programs and resources. (b) Eligible entities An entity is eligible to receive a grant under this section if such entity is— (1) (A) a State, political subdivision of a State, an Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act); (B) a health facility, or a program operated by, or in accordance with, a contract or grant with the Indian Health Service; or (C) another public or private nonprofit entity; and (2) located in or serves a community in which an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence has occurred in the preceding fiscal year. (c) Use of funds An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may use funds received under such grant to— (1) provide racially, culturally, linguistically, and gender-appropriate, evidence-based, and trauma-informed and trauma-competent psychological supports to individuals who have survived an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence; (2) implement evidence-based violence prevention and community engagement programs; and (3) implement programs to connect such survivors to the supports described in paragraph (1). (d) Pre-Implementation report on selection process Not later than 90 days before the date on which the Secretary establishes the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report detailing the selection process the Secretary shall use in making grants under such program. (e) Application An eligible entity seeking 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 require, including— (1) an assessment of the need for mental and behavioral health services for survivors of an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence in the community involved; (2) a plan to implement the activities described in subsection (c) during the period of the grant; and (3) a cost assessment with respect to implementing such plan. (f) Consultation and Assistance In establishing the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) consult with nationally recognized organizations that identify, support, and advocate for evidence-based, trauma-informed behavioral health services; (2) consult with nationally recognized organizations— (A) with expertise in trauma-informed behavioral health services, mental and behavioral health, or violence interruption; and (B) that identify, support, and advocate for evidence-based prevention of, and intervention for, trauma; and (3) provide technical assistance to grant recipients with respect to the implementation and execution of activities supported by a grant under this section. (g) Evaluation and report (1) Evaluation Not later than 1 year after the date on which the first grant is awarded and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall coordinate with the entities described in subsection (f)(2) to provide an evaluation of the success of the grant program. (2) Report Not later than 60 days after the completion of each evaluation under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress, and make publicly available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services, a report on such evaluation, including a recommendation on whether to continue or expand the program. (h) Definitions In this section: (1) The term active shooter event means an event in which an individual is actively engaged in the unauthorized killing or attempting to kill a person or persons in a confined and populated area using a firearm. (2) The term incident of targeted violence means an incident of violence in which an assailant identified a particular target prior to such incident of violence, which may be one or more individuals, a class or category of individuals, or an institution, without regard to whether the chosen target was harmed during such incident. (3) The term State has the meaning given such term in section 534. (i) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000, for the each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025. .