The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will distribute $3 billion secured under the American Rescue Plan Act through two block grant programs aimed at mental health and substance abuse treatments. Early in the pandemic, experts worried that mental health and opioid abuse epidemics would intensify during long periods of social isolation and financial instability, exacerbating existing public health crises of suicide and substance abuse. The infusion of resources into community behavioral health research and programming comes alongside the establishment of a Behavioral Health Coordinating council to “facilitate collaborative, innovative, transparent, equitable, and action-oriented approaches to addressing the [Department of Health and Human Services] behavioral health agenda.” The funds will be distributed to the states and generally administered by state public health and/or social service departments.
