HHS delegates over $87M in funding for youth mental health services
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HHS announced it awarded $40.22 million in youth mental health grants during August, as well as the opportunity for $47.6 million in grant funding for school-based mental health services.
The grants and opportunities for future grant funding are part of President Joe Biden’s effort to address the United States’ mental health crisis, including its impact on children.
“The number of children in America diagnosed with anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions is on the rise,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. “It’s time to heed President Biden’s call to strengthen mental health in America, especially for our littlest ones. Young or old, we deserve a chance to build resilience and thrive.”
According to the release, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the ongoing mental health crisis in the U.S. A survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed that among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 5.3% made a suicide plan and 2.5% attempted suicide in the past year.
According to an HSS national survey, between 2016 and 2020, children aged 3 to 17 years diagnosed with anxiety rose by 29%, and those with depression rose by 27%.
In 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in those aged 10 to 14 years, and in those aged 25 to 34 years, according to CDC.
“These alarming trends tell us that too many young people in this country are experiencing mental health-related distress without the support and care they need,” Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, HHS assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse, said in the release. “SAMHSA is responding by developing and expanding grant programs that address the mental health needs of children and youth across the country.”
From the $47.6 million in grant opportunities, $37.6 million will be delegated for the Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education, or AWARE, which develops a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs that promote healthy social and emotional development.
The remaining $10 million will be allocated to the Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) grant program, which assists high-risk youth and families by promoting resilience and equity in communities that have faced recent civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma.