Nearly $100 Million in Support for Mental Health

This week the Biden-Harris Administration announced more than $95 million in awards aross 35 states to increase access to school-based mental health services and strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-needs school districts. The awards were funded by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which President Biden signed into law on June 25, 2022, and they help advance the Administration's efforts to tackle the mental health crisis in our schools as part of his National Mental Health Strategy.  

The Department of Education (Department) has awarded $286 million across 264 grantees in 48 states and territories to boost the training, hiring, and diversification of mental health professionals through two grants – the School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) grant program and Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) grant program – in President Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Grantees estimate that these funds collectively will prepare more than 14,000 new mental health professionals for America’s schools. A state-by-state breakdown of these projections is included below.

Today’s announcement of 93 additional MHSP awards, following the awarding of $46 million to 67 grantees in December, means that the Department will fund a total of 160 MHSP grantees across the country who will train and place thousands of diverse and certified mental health providers in schools with the most need. Nearly half (45 percent) of MHSP grantees proposed a partnership with a Minority Serving Institution, Historically Black College or University or Tribal College or University. In February, the Department also announced $141 million in SBMH grants, which supports districts in hiring mental health professionals.

The Department is also announcing up to $2.6 million in funding for a new Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center to support MHSP and SBMH grantees in meeting the goals of their grant. This Center will help identify and develop resources both for SBMH and MHSP grantees to support grantees in addressing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of PK-12 students and staff. The Center will also provide support to the field more broadly – to grantees and beyond – by disseminating best practices in recruiting, training, placing, and retaining school-based mental health services providers.

These historic investments are made possible because of funds provided under BSCA. Over the next five years, the Department will invest the remainder of the $1 billion provided by BSCA in mental health professionals for schools through the MHSP and SBMH programs, helping advance the President's goal, as part of his Mental Health Strategy, to double the number of school counselors, social workers, and other school-based mental health professionals.

These funds have the potential to meaningfully change lives by building a mental health infrastructure in schools and communities across the country. These grants complement $1 billion BSCA funds to support safe school environments through the Stronger Connections grant program through evidence-based strategies that advance equity and support student social, emotional, physical, and mental well-being.

The new MHSP Demonstration Grant awardees for Southwest and Western regions are listed below:

University of Alaska Anchorage, AK,  $354,586

Mohave Valley Elementary School District, AZ,  $586,038

San Francisco State University, CA,  $1,125,088

University Corporation at Monterey Bay, CA,  $1,199,177

Los Angeles Unified School District, CA,  $1,200,000

Santa Ana Unified School District, CA,  $921,500

Riverside County Office of Education, CA,  $1,149,984

Del County Norte County Unified School District, CA,  $611,259

University of the Pacific, CA,  $1,082,192

San Diego County Office of Education, CA,  $481,124

Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation, CA,  $174,071

Solano County Superintendent of Schools, CA,  $818,116

Santa Clara County Office of Education, CA,  $976,050

California State University Long Beach Research Foundation, CA,  $747,828

Northern Humboldt Union High School District, CA,  $1,077,494

Oxnard School District, CA,  $920,761

University of Colorado Denver, CO,  $477,617

Poudre School District, CO,  $1,712,263

Board of Trustees for the University of Northern Colorado, CO,  $799,874

University of Denver, CO,  $325,388

Eddyville-Blakesburg Fremont Community School District, IA,  $756,212

University of Iowa, IA,  $1,007,190

Montana State University, MT,  $713,015

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, OK,  $619,133

Oregon State University, OR,  $424,097

Portland State University, OR,  $1,189,801

University of Houston-Clear Lake, TX,  $143,773

Karnes City Independent School District, TX,  $1,685,068

University of the Incarnate Word, TX,  $1,059,760

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX,  $1,149,386

University of North Texas, TX,  $440,306

Sam Houston State University, TX,  $756,552

Midwestern State University, TX,  $136,864

Baylor University, TX,  $450,332

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX,  $1,089,608

Heritage University, WA,  $1,171,783

University of Washington, WA,  $226,287

Seattle University, WA,  $605,531

Educational Service District 112, WA,  $509,158

Estimated Number of New School-based Mental Health Professionals Projected to be Hired with MHSP & SBMH Investments by State in the Southwest and Western regions

AK, 58

AR, 71

AZ, 22

CA, 2173

CO, 238

MT, 30

NM, 16

NV, 62

OK, 116

OR, 140

TX, 707

UT, 5

WA, 511

WV, 156

Casi $100 millones en apoyo a la salud mental  

Esta semana la Administración Biden-Harris anuncio más de $95 millones en asignaciones en 35 estados para aumentar el acceso a los servicios de salud mental basados en las escuelas y fortalecer la cartera de profesionales de salud mental en distritos escolares de alta necesidad. Las asignaciones fueron financiados por la Ley Bipartidista de Comunidades Más Seguras (BSCA), que el presidente Biden promulgó el 25 de junio de 2022, y ayudan a avanzar en los esfuerzos de la Administración para abordar la crisis de salud mental en nuestras escuelas como parte de su Estrategia Nacional de Salud Mental.

El Departamento de Educación (Departamento) ha otorgado $ 286 millones a 264 beneficiarios en 48 estados y territorios para impulsar la capacitación, contratación y diversificación de profesionales de salud mental a través de dos subvenciones: el programa de subvenciones de Salud Mental Basada en la Escuela (SBMH) y el programa de subvenciones para Profesionales de Servicios de Salud Mental (MHSP), en la Ley Bipartidista de Comunidades Más Seguras del Presidente Biden. Los concesionarios estiman que estos fondos colectivamente prepararán a más de 14,000 nuevos profesionales de la salud mental para Las escuelas de Estados Unidos. A continuación se incluye un desglose estado por estado de estas proyecciones.

El anuncio de esta semana de 93 asignaciones adicionales de MHSP, luego de la adjudicación de $46 millones a 67 concesionarios en diciembre, significa que el Departamento financiará un total de 160 concesionarios de MHSP en todo el país que capacitarán y colocarán a miles de proveedores de salud mental diversos y certificados en las escuelas con más necesidad. Casi la mitad (45 por ciento) de los beneficiarios de MHSP propusieron una asociación con una institución que sirve a las minorías, un colegio o universidad históricamente negro o un colegio o universidad tribal. En febrero, el Departamento también anunció $ 141 millones en subvenciones de SBMH, que apoya a los distritos en la contratación de profesionales de salud mental.

El Departamento también está anunciando hasta $2.6 millones en fondos para un nuevo Centro de Asistencia Técnica para Personal de Salud Mental para apoyar a los concesionarios de MHSP y SBMH en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de su subvención. Este Centro ayudará a identificar y desarrollar recursos tanto para los concesionarios de SBMH como para MHSP para apoyar a los concesionarios a abordar las necesidades sociales, emocionales y de salud mental de los estudiantes y el personal de PK-12. El Centro también brindará apoyo al campo de manera más amplia, a los concesionarios y más allá, mediante la difusión de las mejores prácticas en el reclutamiento, capacitación, colocación y retención de proveedores de servicios de salud mental en la escuela.

Estas inversiones históricas son posibles gracias a los fondos proporcionados por BSCA. Durante los próximos cinco años, el Departamento invertirá el resto de los $1 mil millones proporcionados por BSCA en profesionales de salud mental para escuelas a través de los programas MHSP y SBMH, ayudando a avanzar en la meta del Presidente, como parte de su Estrategia de Salud Mental, de duplicar el número de consejeros escolares, trabajadores sociales y otros profesionales de salud mental en las escuelas.

Estos fondos tienen el potencial de cambiar vidas de manera significativa mediante la construcción de una infraestructura de salud mental en escuelas y comunidades de todo el país. Estas subvenciones complementan los fondos de BSCA de $ 1 mil millones para apoyar entornos escolares seguros a través

del programa de subvenciones Stronger Connections a través de estrategias basadas en evidencia que promueven la equidad y apoyan el bienestar social, emocional, físico y mental de los estudiantes.

Los nuevos beneficiarios de la Subvención de Demostración MHSP para las regiones suroeste y oeste se enumeran a continuación:

University of Alaska Anchorage, AK,  $354,586 

Mohave Valley Elementary School District, AZ,  $586,038 

San Francisco State University, CA,  $1,125,088 

University Corporation at Monterey Bay, CA,  $1,199,177 

Los Angeles Unified School District, CA,  $1,200,000 

Santa Ana Unified School District, CA,  $921,500 

Riverside County Office of Education, CA,  $1,149,984 

Del County Norte County Unified School District, CA,  $611,259 

University of the Pacific, CA,  $1,082,192 

San Diego County Office of Education, CA,  $481,124 

Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation, CA,  $174,071 

Solano County Superintendent of Schools, CA,  $818,116 

Santa Clara County Office of Education, CA,  $976,050 

California State University Long Beach Research Foundation, CA,  $747,828 

Northern Humboldt Union High School District, CA,  $1,077,494 

Oxnard School District, CA,  $920,761 

University of Colorado Denver, CO,  $477,617 

Poudre School District, CO,  $1,712,263 

Board of Trustees for the University of Northern Colorado, CO,  $799,874 

University of Denver, CO,  $325,388 

Eddyville-Blakesburg Fremont Community School District, IA,  $756,212 

University of Iowa, IA,  $1,007,190 

Montana State University, MT,  $713,015 

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, OK,  $619,133 

Oregon State University, OR,  $424,097 

Portland State University, OR,  $1,189,801 

University of Houston-Clear Lake, TX,  $143,773 

Karnes City Independent School District, TX,  $1,685,068 

University of the Incarnate Word, TX,  $1,059,760 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX,  $1,149,386 

University of North Texas, TX,  $440,306 

Sam Houston State University, TX,  $756,552 

Midwestern State University, TX,  $136,864 

Baylor University, TX,  $450,332 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX,  $1,089,608 

Heritage University, WA,  $1,171,783 

University of Washington, WA,  $226,287 

Seattle University, WA,  $605,531 

Educational Service District 112, WA,  $509,158