ANMH Commends Congress For Including Mental Health Provisions in Omnibus Spending Package
ACTNow for Mental Health (ANMH) commends the U.S. Congress for including landmark provisions related to mental and behavioral health as part of the omnibus spending package. On Thursday, December 28th, President Joe Biden signed the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package into law, which sets government funding levels and allocations for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2023.
In the appropriations section, Congress allocated $7.5 billion to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), including $2.8 billion for mental health.[1] This marks an increase of $970 million to invest in critical mental health programs, which expand access to services for those most in need.
Congress included a provision for “Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being,” which encompasses a broad set of policies that initially passed the House of Representatives in May 2022. This section reauthorizes through FY2027, expands, and modifies programs, grants, and activities that focus on mental and behavioral health. Specifically, the legislation reauthorizes grants for community-based programs, suicide prevention, and support for the behavioral health workforce. This section also improves coordination of federal efforts related to behavioral health, strengthens compliance of federal mental health parity requirements, and integrates behavioral health in primary care settings. Additionally, this section expands access to opioid and other substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. To view a more in-depth analysis of this legislation, click here.
“On behalf of ANMH, we applaud our congressional champions for investing in mental and behavioral health services for all Americans,” said Edward Garcia III, MHS, Founder and Board Member of ANMH and Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Social Connection. “The bipartisan policies included in the spending package align with our organization’s priorities to expand access to mental health services and supports for those historically underserved, while fighting behavioral health stigma and enhancing health equity.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joy Chen
Director of Operations and Strategy
ACTNow for Mental Health is dedicated to expanding access to mental health services and supports, fighting mental and behavioral health stigma, and enhancing health equity. ANMH works to match young adults in need of free or low-cost, culturally competent behavioral health care, with a focus on historically underserved communities including LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), people with physical, intellectual, or mental health disabilities, and people who are uninsured or underinsured. For more information, please visit www.anmh.info.
[1] https://mindsitenews.org/2022/12/20/mental-health-funding-at-stake-as-congress-rushes-to-pass-end-of-year-package-and-avoid-government-shutdown/