Funding Opportunity to Strengthen Behavioral Health Services in Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care Facilities Announced by HHS
Funding Opportunity to Strengthen Behavioral Health Services in Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care Facilities Announced by HHS
United States / National – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing a nearly $15 million funding opportunity for a three-year federal grant to establish a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) program that will strengthen the delivery of behavioral health care to nursing home and other long-term care facility residents. This program will establish a Center of Excellence for Building Capacity in Nursing Facilities to Care for Residents with Behavioral Health Conditions, which will be funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (Center for Excellence). This builds on President Biden’s emphasis in his State of the Union address on the critical importance of providing high-quality care to residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
The Center of Excellence is expected to improve overall health care in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities by providing direct consultation to staff in order to increase understanding, raise awareness, reduce stigma, and build knowledge and skills for effective resident care. Finally, the Center for Excellence will strengthen and sustain effective behavioral health practices, resulting in improved outcomes for residents suffering from serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, substance use issues, or co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions. It will also make evidence-based training and technical assistance on mental health disorder identification, treatment, and recovery support services available.
“Physical health and mental health are equally important and should be treated as such, including in our nation’s nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The program’s goal reflects two commitments of the Biden-Harris Administration—to transform our mental health and crisis care systems so this type of care is provided holistically and equitably, and to improve the quality of our nursing homes and other long-term care facilities so the people living there get the care they deserve.”
“People living in nursing homes and other long-term facilities who are coping with mental and substance use conditions deserve access to the full continuum of quality, evidence-based care,” said Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “With funding from our partner CMS, this first-ever grant program will bring into sharper focus residents’ behavioral health needs and provide free training and assistance for our nation’s nursing home and facility workforce.”
“This grant and our partnership with SAMHSA provide access to prevention and treatment for substance use issues, mental health services, crisis intervention, and pain care,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Making behavioral health care a priority in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities supports a person’s whole emotional and mental well-being, promotes person-centered behavioral health care, and advances our CMS Behavioral Health Strategy.”
The program will be funded with Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funds collected from nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that are not in substantial compliance with one or more Medicare and Medicaid program participation requirements for long-term care facilities. These funds may be reinvested to benefit nursing home residents and protect or improve their quality of care or quality of life.
In late fiscal year 2022, one grantee will receive funding of up to $4,962,223 per year for three years. View the COE-Nursing Facilities funding opportunity notice.
Anyone looking for help with mental health or substance abuse issues should call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to findtreatment.samhsa.gov.
Please visit https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Story-Page/behavioral-health for more information on the CMS Behavioral Health Strategy.
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