I 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 chil- dren’s hospitals and through community-based providers to improve chil- dren’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 behav- ioral 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 depart- ments, to support the pediatric behavioral health work- force, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 2412 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping Kids Cope 2 Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT PEDIATRIC BEHAV- 4 IORAL HEALTH CARE. 5 Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act 6 (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by inserting after 7 subpart V the following new subpart: 8 ‘‘Subpart VI—Pediatric Behavioral Health Programs 9 ‘‘SEC. 340A–1. PROGRAM TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO COMMU- 10 NITY-BASED PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL 11 HEALTH CARE. 12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 13 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 14 Administration, shall award grants, contracts, or coopera- 15 tive agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of sup- 16 porting pediatric behavioral health care integration and 17 coordination within communities to meet local community 18 needs. 19 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Entities eligible for 20 grants under subsection (a) include— 21 ‘‘(1) health care providers, including family 22 physicians, pediatric medical sub-specialists, and 23 surgical specialists; 24 ‘‘(2) children’s hospitals; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(3) facilities that are eligible to receive funds 1 under section 340E or 340H; 2 ‘‘(4) nonprofit medical facilities that predomi- 3 nantly treat individuals under the age of 21; 4 ‘‘(5) rural health clinics and Federally qualified 5 health centers (as such terms are defined in section 6 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act); 7 ‘‘(6) pediatric mental health and substance use 8 disorder providers, such as child and adolescent psy- 9 chiatrists, psychologists, developmental and behav- 10 ioral pediatricians, general pediatricians, advanced 11 practice nurses, social workers, licensed professional 12 counselors, and other licensed professionals that pro- 13 vide mental health and substance use disorder serv- 14 ices to patients under 21 years of age; 15 ‘‘(7) child advocacy centers described in section 16 214(c)(2)(B) of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 17 1990; 18 ‘‘(8) school-based health centers; and 19 ‘‘(9) other entities as determined appropriate by 20 the Secretary. 21 ‘‘(c) PRIORITIZATION.—In making awards under sub- 22 section (a), the Secretary shall prioritize— 23 ‘‘(1) applicants that provide children and ado- 24 lescents from high-need, rural, or under-resourced 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 2412 IH communities with services across the continuum of 1 children’s mental health and substance use disorder 2 care; and 3 ‘‘(2) applicants that predominantly provide care 4 to children and adolescents that demonstrate plans 5 to utilize funds to expand provision of care to chil- 6 dren, adolescents, and youth under age 21. 7 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities that may be funded 8 through an award under subsection (a) include— 9 ‘‘(1) increasing the capacity of pediatric prac- 10 tices, family medicine practices, and school-based 11 health centers to integrate pediatric mental, emo- 12 tional, and behavioral health services into their prac- 13 tices including through co-location of mental, emo- 14 tional, and behavioral health providers; 15 ‘‘(2) training for non-clinical pediatric health 16 care workers, including care coordinators and navi- 17 gators, on child and adolescent mental health and 18 substance use disorder, trauma-informed care, and 19 local resources to support children and caregivers; 20 ‘‘(3) expanding evidence-based, integrated mod- 21 els of care for pediatric mental health and substance 22 use disorder services; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(4) pediatric practice integration for the provi- 1 sion of pediatric mental health and substance use 2 disorder services; 3 ‘‘(5) addressing surge capacity for pediatric 4 mental health and substance use disorder needs; 5 ‘‘(6) providing pediatric mental, emotional, and 6 behavioral health services to children as delivered by 7 mental health and substance use disorder profes- 8 sionals utilizing telehealth services; 9 ‘‘(7) establishing or maintaining initiatives to 10 allow more children to access care outside of emer- 11 gency departments, including partial hospitalization, 12 step down residency programs, and intensive out- 13 patient programs; 14 ‘‘(8) supporting, enhancing, or expanding pedi- 15 atric mental health and substance use disorder pre- 16 ventive and crisis intervention services; 17 ‘‘(9) establishing or maintaining pediatric men- 18 tal health and substance use disorder urgent care or 19 walk-in clinics; 20 ‘‘(10) establishing or maintaining community- 21 based pediatric mental health and substance use dis- 22 order initiatives, such as partnerships with schools 23 and early childhood education programs; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(11) addressing other access and coordination 1 gaps to pediatric mental health and substance use 2 disorder services in the community for children; and 3 ‘‘(12) supporting the collection of data on chil- 4 dren and adolescents’ mental health needs, service 5 utilization and availability, and demographic data, to 6 capture community needs and identify gaps and bar- 7 riers in children’s access to care, in a manner that 8 protects personal privacy, consistent with applicable 9 Federal and State privacy laws. 10 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 11 carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro- 12 priated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 13 years 2024 through 2028. 14 ‘‘SEC. 340A–2. PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORK- 15 FORCE TRAINING PROGRAM. 16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 17 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 18 Administration, shall award grants, contracts, or coopera- 19 tive agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of sup- 20 porting evidence-based pediatric mental health and sub- 21 stance use disorder workforce training. 22 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Entities eligible for 23 grants under subsection (a) include— 24 ‘‘(1) children’s hospitals; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(2) facilities that are eligible to receive funds 1 under section 340E or 340H; 2 ‘‘(3) nonprofit medical facilities that predomi- 3 nantly treat individuals under the age of 21; 4 ‘‘(4) rural health clinics and Federally qualified 5 health centers (as such terms are defined in section 6 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act); 7 ‘‘(5) entities that employ mental health and 8 substance use disorder professionals, such as child 9 and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, develop- 10 mental and behavioral pediatricians, general pedia- 11 tricians, advanced practice nurses, social workers, li- 12 censed professional counselors, or other licensed pro- 13 fessionals that provide mental health or substance 14 use disorder services to patients under 21 years of 15 age; and 16 ‘‘(6) other pediatric health care providers as de- 17 termined appropriate by the Secretary. 18 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities that may be sup- 19 ported through an award under subsection (a) include the 20 following: 21 ‘‘(1) Training to enhance the capabilities of the 22 existing pediatric workforce, including pediatricians, 23 primary care physicians, advanced practice reg- 24 istered nurses, and other pediatric health care pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 2412 IH viders, including expanded training in pediatric men- 1 tal health and substance use disorders, and cul- 2 turally and developmentally appropriate care for 3 children with mental health conditions. 4 ‘‘(2) Training to support multi-disciplinary 5 teams to provide pediatric mental health and sub- 6 stance use disorder treatment, including through in- 7 tegrated care models. 8 ‘‘(3) Initiatives to accelerate the time to licen- 9 sure within the pediatric mental health or substance 10 use disorder workforce. 11 ‘‘(4) Activities to expand recruitment and reten- 12 tion, increase workforce diversity, or enhance work- 13 force training for critical pediatric mental health 14 professions, including— 15 ‘‘(A) child and adolescent psychiatrists; 16 ‘‘(B) psychiatric nurses; 17 ‘‘(C) psychologists; 18 ‘‘(D) family therapists; 19 ‘‘(E) social workers; 20 ‘‘(F) mental health counselors; 21 ‘‘(G) developmental and behavioral pedia- 22 tricians; 23 ‘‘(H) pediatric substance use disorder spe- 24 cialists; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(I) other mental health care providers as 1 determined appropriate by the Secretary. 2 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 3 carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro- 4 priated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 5 years 2024 through 2028.’’. 6 SEC. 3. INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN PEDIATRIC 7 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. 8 The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et 9 seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 10 ‘‘TITLE XXXIV—ASSISTANCE FOR 11 CONSTRUCTION AND MOD- 12 ERNIZATION OF CHILDREN’S 13 MENTAL HEALTH AND SUB- 14 STANCE USE DISORDER IN- 15 FRASTRUCTURE 16 ‘‘SEC. 3401. INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN PEDI- 17 ATRIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. 18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 19 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 20 Administration, shall award grants, contracts, or coopera- 21 tive agreements to eligible entities for the purpose of im- 22 proving their ability to provide pediatric behavioral health 23 services, including by— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(1) constructing or modernizing sites of care 1 for pediatric behavioral health services; 2 ‘‘(2) expanding capacity to provide pediatric be- 3 havioral health services, including enhancements to 4 digital infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other 5 improvements to patient care infrastructure; 6 ‘‘(3) supporting the reallocation of existing re- 7 sources to accommodate pediatric behavioral health 8 patients, including by converting or adding a suffi- 9 cient number of beds to establish or increase the 10 hospital’s inventory of licensed and operational, 11 short-term psychiatric and substance use inpatient 12 beds; and 13 ‘‘(4) addressing gaps in the continuum of care 14 for children, by expanding capacity to provide inter- 15 mediate levels of care, such as intensive outpatient 16 services, partial hospitalization programs, and day 17 programs that can prevent hospitalizations and sup- 18 port children as they transition back to their homes 19 and communities. 20 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to seek an award 21 under this section, an entity shall be a hospital or rural 22 health clinic that predominantly treats individuals under 23 the age of 21, including any hospital that receives funds 24 under section 340E. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 1 carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro- 2 priated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 3 years 2024 through 2028. 4 ‘‘(d) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds pro- 5 vided under this section shall be used to supplement, not 6 supplant Federal and non-Federal funds available for car- 7 rying out the activities described in this section. 8 ‘‘(e) REPORTING.— 9 ‘‘(1) REPORTS FROM AWARD RECIPIENTS.—Not 10 later than 180 days after the completion of activities 11 funded by an award under this section, the entity 12 that received such award shall submit a report to 13 the Secretary on the activities conducted using funds 14 from such award, and other information as the Sec- 15 retary may require. 16 ‘‘(2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 17 one year, the Secretary shall submit to the Com- 18 mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 19 Representatives and the Committee on Health, Edu- 20 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report 21 on the projects and activities conducted with funds 22 awarded under this section, and the outcome of such 23 projects and activities. Such report shall include— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2412.IH H2412 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 2412 IH ‘‘(A) the number of projects supported by 1 awards made under this section; 2 ‘‘(B) an overview of the impact, if any, of 3 such projects on pediatric health care infra- 4 structure, including any impact on access to pe- 5 diatric mental health and [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]