HHS Awards Almost $245 Million in Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Funding

Jan. 10, 2023

HHS announced on Jan. 9 that it has awarded nearly $245 million to support youth mental health, healthcare workforce mental health, and other vital mental health supports

Janette Wider

According to a Jan. 9 press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded nearly $245 million in Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funding—$185.7 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and approximately $60 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)—to back and fund mental health supports, including youth mental health and assist the healthcare workforce with mental health needs.

The Biden-Harris Administration, as part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, has addressing the mental health crisis as a top priority. The bipartisan legislation that was signed into law for President Bide in June of 2022 provided HHS with resources to help children and families across the U.S.

The press release states that “SAMHSA’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act awards include:

$73.6 million for Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (Project AWARE) to help develop and support school-based mental health programs and services;
$57.7 million in Mental Health Awareness Training grants to prepare and train school personnel, emergency first responders, law enforcement and others to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges to enable early intervention;
$14.9 million for School Based Trauma-Informed Support Services and Mental Health Care for Children and Youth to increase student access to evidence-based and culturally relevant trauma support services and mental healthcare;
$19.5 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, to improve treatment and services for children, adolescents, and families who have experienced traumatic events; and,
$20 million in Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma grants to promote resilience and equity and prevent violence in communities that have recently faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma.”

Further, “HRSA’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act awards include:

Nearly $60 million to support the integration of mental health training into the training of primary care clinicians, with a specific focus on preparing primary care providers to treat the mental health needs of children and adolescents.”

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was quoted in the release saying that “Investments from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will support critical programs for youth and their mental health, including school-based programs that meet children and families where they are. Advancing youth mental health is a top priority for HHS and this Administration, and we’re encouraged by the continued bipartisan support of these critical programs.”