Compromise bill includes increases in mental health care funding

Negotiators from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recently released the text of a compromise bill to fund the government through the fiscal year 2016, which includes key programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Highlights of the 2016 funding bill, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health, include:

$1.779 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, an increase of $38.2 million from 2015 levels;
Funding for various opioid abuse prevention initiatives, including an increase of $13 million for the Targeted Capacity Expansion program, $12 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and $10 million for the Strategic Prevention Framework Rx program;
$15 million for Mental Health First Aid;
$50 million for Primary Care-Behavioral Health integration; and
$511 million for the Mental Health Block Grant, a $50 million increase of 2015 levels.

Funding for the BRAIN Initiative is set at $150 million in 2016, an increase of $85 million from 2015 levels.

The agreement also provides increases for research supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The House also recently passed another short-term continuing resolution to keep the government functioning until both chambers approve the omnibus bill.

“The National Council thanks the U.S. Congress for including a $15 million appropriation for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the omnibus spending agreement released last night. This marks the third consecutive year Congress has provided funding for this public education and awareness program,” Linda Rosenberg, MSW, president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, said in a statement. “Mental Health First Aid has sparked a movement that is changing America’s culture. The training not only teaches people to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and addictions, it gives them the confidence to intervene, the skills to safely deescalate a crisis situation, and the information they need to help someone care for themselves or get professional help.”

“But we can’t stop here,” Rosenberg added. “With one in four Americans experiencing a mental health or addiction disorder each year, we are committed to making this important training as common as CPR.”