HHS urges states to expand access to children’s mental health services

Last month, leaders from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Children and Families, and Administration for Community Living—all agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—encouraged state agencies and tribal organizations to coordinate their federal funding streams to expand access to mental health services for children. “We encourage states to broaden and expand these partnerships across these block grant programs and Medicaid and [the Children’s Health Insurance Program] to proactively plan and implement interventions that best leverage federal resources to support children’s mental health,” the HHS agencies’ leaders wrote in a joint letter. (HHS news release, 5/25/22)