HHS Awards More Than $130 Million in 988 Lifeline Grants
According to a Dec. 16 press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will award more than $130 million in 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline grants throughout the month of December. The funding is part of the $800 million provided to SAMHSA under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crises in the U.S.
On Dec. 16, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA Miriam Delphin-Rittmon visited Community Crisis Services, Inc., a Hyattsville, Md.-based call center, to see how the grant funding benefited organizations like Community Crisis Services and to emphasize the importance of the investments. The Biden Administration has invested almost $500 million in total to implement the 988 Lifeline.
The press release states that “The bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 25 strengthens the mental health care system, school safety programs, and gun safety laws – further advancing the President’s whole-of-government mental health strategy, which he launched as part of his Unity Agenda. The $800 million in funding to SAMHSA for behavioral health grants includes $250 million for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grants, $240 million for Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (Project AWARE), $120 million for Mental Health Awareness Training, $40 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative and $150 million for the new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.”
Further, “Today, HHS, through SAMHSA, awarded $47 million to states and U.S. territories to expand and enhance 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline services. Later this month, HHS, through SAMHSA, plans to award $21.1 million in 988 Lifeline Tribal Response Grants and technical assistance to improve 988 response in tribal communities, which face unique challenges to accessing technology and crisis services. SAMHSA plans to award additional funds to further improve 988 response in tribal communities early next year. Additionally, this month, SAMHSA plans to award $64.8 million to 988 Lifeline administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health, to manage and expand access to local and national 988 Lifeline crisis centers, maintain and enhance language-based services, ensure effective system routing, training, evaluation, network operational outcomes, and improve access to specialized care for populations known to be at higher risk for suicide.”
Short-term data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that there was a rise in the number and the rate of suicides, and in drug overdose deaths, in 2021 vs. 2020.
“SAMHSA’s 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported the negative impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on Americans’ well-being,” the release adds. “The NSDUH also estimated that 4.9 percent of adults aged 18 or older had serious thoughts of suicide, 1.3 percent made a suicide plan and 0.5 percent attempted suicide in the past year. Among adolescents ages 12-17, 12 percent said they had serious thoughts of suicide, 5.3 percent made a suicide plan, and 2.5 percent percent attempted suicide in the past year.”
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was quoted in the release saying that “Our country is facing unprecedented mental health and substance use crises among people of all ages and backgrounds. Although rates of depression and anxiety were rising before the pandemic, the grief, trauma, and physical and social isolation that many people experienced during the pandemic exacerbated these issues. Drug overdose deaths have also reached a historic high, devastating individuals, families, and communities. The significant additional funding provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will have a direct positive impact on strengthening the behavioral health of individuals and communities across the country.”
