HHS Leaders Urge States to Step Up Support for Children’s Mental Health

United States / National – On May 25, 2022, agencies across the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a joint letter to states, tribes, and jurisdictions encouraging them to prioritize and maximize efforts to improve children’s mental health and well-being. The letter, signed by leaders from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), outlines HHS’ plans to support and facilitate state-level coordination across federal funding streams to improve outcomes.

“At HHS, I have called on our leaders across the entire Department to work together and pull every available lever to support President Biden’s call to strengthen the mental health of Americans,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today, we are encouraging our state, tribal, and community partners to do the same, especially for our littlest ones. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to providing critical mental health services for children and their families to build resilience and thrive.”

According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, the number of children aged 3 to 17 years diagnosed with anxiety increased by 29 percent between 2016 and 2020, while those diagnosed with depression increased by 27 percent. There was a 21% increase in children diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems between 2019 and 2020. Given these increases, HHS agencies are encouraging recipients to work together to develop meaningful and equitable approaches to children’s mental health needs, as well as to expand access to high-quality pediatric mental health care.

The letter highlights opportunities to strengthen the health care system’s capacity to meet mental health needs, connect more people to care, and create a continuum of support to address mental health comprehensively and equitably by coordinating across federal programs such as:

• HRSA’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant that supports the health and well-being of all mothers, children, and families;
• SAMHSA’s Community Mental Health Services Block Grant that provide funding for substance abuse and mental health services;
• Mental health and behavioral health care covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
• ACF’s Title IV-E Prevention Program for children and families involved with the child welfare system and early childhood mental health supports;
• CDC’s evidence-based primary prevention programs and mental health resources; and,
• ACL’s programs for people with disabilities, including children with mental health needs.

Coordination opportunities include the following:

• Developing a statewide children’s mental health task force that coordinates children’s mental health data across Title V, Medicaid and CHIP, Title IV-E, early childhood programs, and the state mental health authorities to identify service and benefit gaps and develop a statewide response strategy to expand mental health screening, prevention, and treatment services for children.
• Increasing the delivery of Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment-eligible mental health screenings and services for children by leveraging the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to conduct statewide training and technical assistance for pediatric and family medicine providers on integrating pediatric primary care and mental health services.

The announcement on May 25, is part of HHS’ ongoing efforts to support President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health services for all Americans, which is a key component of the President’s Unity Agenda and is reflected in the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget.

Following the President’s State of the Union address in March, Secretary Becerra launched the HHS National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health to address the mental health issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as substance use, youth mental health, and suicide. Since the tour’s inception, Secretary Becerra and HHS leaders have traveled across the country to hear directly from Americans about the mental health challenges they face, as well as to engage with local leaders to strengthen our communities’ mental health and crisis care systems.