On September 28, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the distribution of $825 million in grants to 231 community mental health centers (CMHC) across the country. A complete list of grant recipients can be found here. The grants will support efforts among CMHCs to:

• Train behavioral health professionals to work with schools to address behavioral health issues for school-age youth at risk for severe emotional distress (SED)
• Provide staff training on behavioral health disparities
• Expand capacity and availability of crisis beds
• Expand mobile crisis mental health services for vulnerable populations
• Develop and implement outreach strategies and referral pathways for vulnerable populations and
• Train and support peer staff to serve as integral members of the team to address mental health needs that may have arisen because of the pandemic

The funding, which comes from the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement (CRRS) Act of 2021, reflects the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting and expanding access to mental health and behavioral support as Americans continue to confront the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on the Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Grant Program or to become involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts please contact the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org.