[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2412 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.''.
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