HHS Announces $25M Grant Program to Expand Mental Health Care Services in Schools

By Consumers for Quality Care, on April 5, 2023

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award $25 million to schools to improve primary care, with a focus on mental health services, according to Fierce Healthcare.

The grant will be awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which currently funds more than 3,400 school-based health care programs. HRSA intends to grant 70 awards to expand existing health care sites and build new ones.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health concerns that had already existed among children. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona addressed this worry in a letter to the nation’s governors last year, writing that the COVID-19 pandemic had sizable impacts on children’s mental health and that mental health services in schools is essential for the continued well-being of children.

CQC encourages further efforts to be made to increase the accessibility and availability of mental health services, particularly for young people.