Helping Kids Cope Act
This bill establishes programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support pediatric behavioral health care.
Specifically, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible health care providers for (1) integrating and coordinating pediatric behavioral health care within communities, and (2) pediatric mental health and substance use disorder workforce training.
Additionally, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to hospitals or rural health clinics that predominately treat individuals under age 21 for expanding their capacity to provide pediatric behavioral health services. Recipients may use awards for constructing or modernizing sites of care and enhancing digital infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other improvements to patient care infrastructure.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2412 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2412
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to increase
national capacity to provide pediatric behavioral health services at
children's hospitals and through community-based providers to improve
children's access to care; and to authorize grants to begin to address
large numbers of children boarding in emergency departments, to support
the pediatric behavioral health workforce, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 30, 2023
Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to increase
national capacity to provide pediatric behavioral health services at
children's hospitals and through community-based providers to improve
children's access to care; and to authorize grants to begin to address
large numbers of children boarding in emergency departments, to support
the pediatric behavioral health workforce, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Kids Cope Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE.
Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254b et seq.) is amended by inserting after subpart V the following new
subpart:
``Subpart VI--Pediatric Behavioral Health Programs
``SEC. 340A-1. PROGRAM TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY-BASED PEDIATRIC
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for
the purpose of supporting pediatric behavioral health care integration
and coordination within communities to meet local community needs.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--Entities eligible for grants under
subsection (a) include--
``(1) health care providers, including family physicians,
pediatric medical sub-specialists, and surgical specialists;
``(2) children's hospitals;
``(3) facilities that are eligible to receive funds under
section 340E or 340H;
``(4) nonprofit medical facilities that predominantly treat
individuals under the age of 21;
``(5) rural health clinics and Federally qualified health
centers (as such terms are defined in section 1861(aa) of the
Social Security Act);
``(6) pediatric mental health and substance use disorder
providers, such as child and adolescent psychiatrists,
psychologists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians,
general pediatricians, advanced practice nurses, social
workers, licensed professional counselors, and other licensed
professionals that provide mental health and substance use
disorder services to patients under 21 years of age;
``(7) child advocacy centers described in section
214(c)(2)(B) of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990;
``(8) school-based health centers; and
``(9) other entities as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
``(c) Prioritization.--In making awards under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall prioritize--
``(1) applicants that provide children and adolescents from
high-need, rural, or under-resourced communities with services
across the continuum of children's mental health and substance
use disorder care; and
``(2) applicants that predominantly provide care to
children and adolescents that demonstrate plans to utilize
funds to expand provision of care to children, adolescents, and
youth under age 21.
``(d) Use of Funds.--Activities that may be funded through an award
under subsection (a) include--
``(1) increasing the capacity of pediatric practices,
family medicine practices, and school-based health centers to
integrate pediatric mental, emotional, and behavioral health
services into their practices including through co-location of
mental, emotional, and behavioral health providers;
``(2) training for non-clinical pediatric health care
workers, including care coordinators and navigators, on child
and adolescent mental health and substance use disorder,
trauma-informed care, and local resources to support children
and caregivers;
``(3) expanding evidence-based, integrated models of care
for pediatric mental health and substance use disorder
services;
``(4) pediatric practice integration for the provision of
pediatric mental health and substance use disorder services;
``(5) addressing surge capacity for pediatric mental health
and substance use disorder needs;
``(6) providing pediatric mental, emotional, and behavioral
health services to children as delivered by mental health and
substance use disorder professionals utilizing telehealth
services;
``(7) establishing or maintaining initiatives to allow more
children to access care outside of emergency departments,
including partial hospitalization, step down residency
programs, and intensive outpatient programs;
``(8) supporting, enhancing, or expanding pediatric mental
health and substance use disorder preventive and crisis
intervention services;
``(9) establishing or maintaining pediatric mental health
and substance use disorder urgent care or walk-in clinics;
``(10) establishing or maintaining community-based
pediatric mental health and substance use disorder initiatives,
such as partnerships with schools and early childhood education
programs;
``(11) addressing other access and coordination gaps to
pediatric mental health and substance use disorder services in
the community for children; and
``(12) supporting the collection of data on children and
adolescents' mental health needs, service utilization and
availability, and demographic data, to capture community needs
and identify gaps and barriers in children's access to care, in
a manner that protects personal privacy, consistent with
applicable Federal and State privacy laws.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
``SEC. 340A-2. PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for
the purpose of supporting evidence-based pediatric mental health and
substance use disorder workforce training.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--Entities eligible for grants under
subsection (a) include--
``(1) children's hospitals;
``(2) facilities that are eligible to receive funds under
section 340E or 340H;
``(3) nonprofit medical facilities that predominantly treat
individuals under the age of 21;
``(4) rural health clinics and Federally qualified health
centers (as such terms are defined in section 1861(aa) of the
Social Security Act);
``(5) entities that employ mental health and substance use
disorder professionals, such as child and adolescent
psychiatrists, psychologists, developmental and behavioral
pediatricians, general pediatricians, advanced practice nurses,
social workers, licensed professional counselors, or other
licensed professionals that provide mental health or substance
use disorder services to patients under 21 years of age; and
``(6) other pediatric health care providers as determined
appropriate by the Secretary.
``(c) Use of Funds.--Activities that may be supported through an
award under subsection (a) include the following:
``(1) Training to enhance the capabilities of the existing
pediatric workforce, including pediatricians, primary care
physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and other
pediatric health care providers, including expanded training in
pediatric mental health and substance use disorders, and
culturally and developmentally appropriate care for children
with mental health conditions.
``(2) Training to support multi-disciplinary teams to
provide pediatric mental health and substance use disorder
treatment, including through integrated care models.
``(3) Initiatives to accelerate the time to licensure
within the pediatric mental health or substance use disorder
workforce.
``(4) Activities to expand recruitment and retention,
increase workforce diversity, or enhance workforce training for
critical pediatric mental health professions, including--
``(A) child and adolescent psychiatrists;
``(B) psychiatric nurses;
``(C) psychologists;
``(D) family therapists;
``(E) social workers;
``(F) mental health counselors;
``(G) developmental and behavioral pediatricians;
``(H) pediatric substance use disorder specialists;
and
``(I) other mental health care providers as
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.''.
SEC. 3. INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
SERVICES.
The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``TITLE XXXIV--ASSISTANCE FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MODERNIZATION OF
CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER INFRASTRUCTURE
``SEC. 3401. INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH SERVICES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for
the purpose of improving their ability to provide pediatric behavioral
health services, including by--
``(1) constructing or modernizing sites of care for
pediatric behavioral health services;
``(2) expanding capacity to provide pediatric behavioral
health services, including enhancements to digital
infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other improvements
to patient care infrastructure;
``(3) supporting the reallocation of existing resources to
accommodate pediatric behavioral health patients, including by
converting or adding a sufficient number of beds to establish
or increase the hospital's inventory of licensed and
operational, short-term psychiatric and substance use inpatient
beds; and
``(4) addressing gaps in the continuum of care for
children, by expanding capacity to provide intermediate levels
of care, such as intensive outpatient services, partial
hospitalization programs, and day programs that can prevent
hospitalizations and support children as they transition back
to their homes and communities.
``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to seek an award under this
section, an entity shall be a hospital or rural health clinic that
predominantly treats individuals under the age of 21, including any
hospital that receives funds under section 340E.
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
``(d) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds provided under this section
shall be used to supplement, not supplant Federal and non-Federal funds
available for carrying out the activities described in this section.
``(e) Reporting.--
``(1) Reports from award recipients.--Not later than 180
days after the completion of activities funded by an award
under this section, the entity that received such award shall
submit a report to the Secretary on the activities conducted
using funds from such award, and other information as the
Secretary may require.
``(2) Reports to congress.--Not later than one year, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the
projects and activities conducted with funds awarded under this
section, and the outcome of such projects and activities. Such
report shall include--
``(A) the number of projects supported by awards
made under this section;
``(B) an overview of the impact, if any, of such
projects on pediatric health care infrastructure,
including any impact on access to pediatric mental
health and substance use disorder services;
``(C) recommendations for improving the investment
program under this section; and
``(D) any other considerations as the Secretary
determines appropriate.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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