Omnibus Increases Support for Communities and Families Struggling with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Murray fought to secure over $5 billion dollars for programs addressing mental health and substance use disorders

Murray continues bipartisan work with Senator Burr to reauthorize, improve, and expand key mental health and substance use disorder programs

Senator Murray: “So many people are struggling. That’s why in this bill I pushed to expand access to mental health care in schools and communities, bolster the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, help schools respond to students’ mental health needs, and more.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, released the following statement on much-needed funding increases for mental health and substance use disorder programs that she helped secure in the 2022 fiscal year appropriations bill. 

“This pandemic has been exceptionally difficult for everyone—and has worsened our nation’s dire mental health and substance use disorder crises. Across our country, people are feeling the effects of two years of stress, isolation, and disruption—and millions are dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. We’ve seen an alarming rise in youth mental health emergencies and crossed the tragic milestone of losing over 100,000 people to drug overdoses in a single year.

“So many people are struggling. That’s why in this bill I pushed to expand access to mental health care in schools and communities, bolster the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, help schools respond to students’ mental health needs, and more.

“With the opioid crisis continuing to ruin lives and hurt communities—and fentanyl deaths rising—I also pushed to provide those on the frontlines with resources for substance use disorder treatment, community-based response efforts, public health data improvements that can help to prevent overdoses, and help specifically for rural communities who have been hit especially hard. There’s still much more we need to do, which is why I’m working on bipartisan legislation to make quality mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services easier for Americans to get.”

The omnibus increases funding to improve mental health access, including through funding to bolster the nation’s system of crisis care. These investments include:

·       $315 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, a $65 million increase over fiscal year 2021;

·       $857.6 million for the Mental Health Block Grant, a $100 million increase, which continues a 5 percent set aside for states to create crisis care programs;

·       $10 million for a new program for crisis response;

·       $101.6 million—a $77.6 million increase—for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline to successfully transition to 988;

·       $5 million for the new Behavioral Health Crisis and 988 Coordinating Office at HHS;

·       $10 million for infant and early childhood mental health, a $2 million increase;

·       $120 million—a $13 million increase—for Project AWARE, which will expand efforts to identify and help children and youth in need of mental health care, including through addressing the needs of children who have experienced trauma; and

·       $111 million, an increase of $90 million more than last year, for Department of Education programs designed to increase the availability of mental health services in schools, including by expanding training programs to prepare new school counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

It also provides over $4 billion across HHS to address substance use disorders, an increase of approximately $300 million over fiscal year 2021 levels. This funding includes:

·       $1.525 billion to states to address the opioid crisis through the State Opioid Response Grant program;

·       $50 million increase for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant;

·       $101 million for medication assisted treatment;

·       $490 million for opioid overdose surveillance and prevention at CDC;

·       $80 million to address the needs of children affected by the opioid crisis; and

·       $135 million to help affected rural communities. 

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