Center for Mental Health Services

There is established in the Administration a Center for Mental Health Services (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Center”). The Center shall be headed by a Director (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Director”) appointed by the Secretary from among individuals with extensive experience or academic qualifications in the provision of mental health services or in the evaluation of mental health service systems. the prevention of mental illness; and the promotion of mental health; encourage and assist local entities and State agencies to achieve the goals and priorities described in paragraph (1); collaborate with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and the Chief Medical Officer, appointed under section 290aa(g) of this title, to ensure that, as appropriate, programs related to the prevention and treatment of mental illness and the promotion of mental health and recovery support are carried out in a manner that reflects the best available science and evidence-based practices, including culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as appropriate; collaborate with the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to develop programs to assist local communities in addressing violence among children and adolescents; develop and coordinate Federal prevention policies and programs and to assure increased focus on the prevention of mental illness and the promotion of mental health, including through programs that reduce risk and promote resiliency; in collaboration with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, develop improved methods of treating individuals with mental health problems and improved methods of assisting the families of such individuals; administer the mental health services block grant program authorized in section 300x of this title; promote policies and programs at Federal, State, and local levels and in the private sector that foster independence, increase meaningful participation of individuals with mental illness in programs and activities of the Administration, and protect the legal rights of persons with mental illness, including carrying out the provisions of the Protection and Advocacy of Mentally Ill Individuals Act 11 See References in Text note below. [42 U.S.C. 10801 et seq.]; carry out the programs under part C; and carry out responsibilities for the Human Resource Development programs; conduct services-related assessments, including evaluations of the organization and financing of care, self-help and consumer-run programs, mental health economics, mental health service systems, rural mental health and tele-mental health, and improve the capacity of State to conduct evaluations of publicly funded mental health programs; disseminate mental health information, including evidence-based practices, to States, political subdivisions, educational agencies and institutions, treatment and prevention service providers, and the general public, including information concerning the practical application of research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health that is applicable to improving the delivery of services; provide technical assistance to public and private entities that are providers of mental health services; monitor and enforce obligations incurred by community mental health centers pursuant to the Community Mental Health Centers Act (as in effect prior to the repeal of such Act on August 13, 1981, by section 902(e)(2)(B) of Public Law 97–35 (95 Stat. 560)); conduct surveys with respect to mental health, such as the National Reporting Program; assist States in improving their mental health data collection; and ensure the consistent documentation of the application of criteria when awarding grants and the ongoing oversight of grantees after such grants are awarded. In carrying out the duties established in subsection (b), the Director may make grants to and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with public and nonprofit private entities. establish a task force to be known as the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health (in this section referred to as the ‘Task Force’); or incorporate the duties, public meetings, and reports specified in subsections (c) through (f) into existing relevant Federal committees or working groups, such as the Maternal Health Interagency Policy Committee and the Maternal Health Working Group, as appropriate. the Federal members under paragraph (2); and the non-Federal members under paragraph (3). The Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, who shall serve as co-chairs. The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration. The Director of the Indian Health Service. Such other Federal departments and agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate that serve individuals with maternal mental health conditions. compose not more than one-half, and not less than one-third, of the total membership of the Task Force; be appointed by the Secretary; and representatives of professional medical societies, professional nursing societies, and relevant health paraprofessional societies with expertise in maternal or mental health; representatives of nonprofit organizations with expertise in maternal or mental health; relevant industry representatives; and other representatives, as appropriate. If the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, or the head of a Federal department or agency serving as a member of the Task Force under paragraph (2), chooses to be represented on the Task Force by a designee, the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, or department or agency head shall designate such designee not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section [Dec. 29, 2022]. prevention strategies for maternal mental health conditions, including strategies and recommendations to reduce racial, ethnic, geographic, and other health disparities; the identification, screening, diagnosis, intervention, and treatment of maternal mental health conditions and affected families; the timely referral to supports, and implementation of practices, that prevent and mitigate the effects of a maternal mental health condition, including strategies and recommendations to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that exist in maternal mental health; and community-based or multigenerational practices that provide support related to maternal mental health conditions, including support for affected families; and Federal and State programs and activities that support prevention, screening, diagnosis, intervention, and treatment of maternal mental health conditions; increasing prevention, screening, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, and access to maternal mental health care, including clinical and nonclinical care such as peer-support and community health workers, through the public and private sectors; providing support relating to the prevention, screening, diagnosis, intervention, and treatment of maternal mental health conditions, including families, as appropriate; reducing racial, ethnic, geographic, and other health disparities related to prevention, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, and access to maternal mental health care; identifying opportunities to modify, strengthen, and better coordinate existing Federal infant and maternal health programs in order to improve screening, diagnosis, research, prevention, identification, intervention, and treatment with respect to maternal mental health; and improving planning, coordination, and collaboration across Federal departments, agencies, offices, and programs; solicit public comments, as appropriate, from stakeholders for the report under paragraph (1) and the national strategy under paragraph (2) in order to inform the activities and reports of the Task Force; and consider the latest research related to maternal mental health in developing the strategy, including, as applicable and appropriate, data and information disaggregated by relevant factors, such as race, ethnicity, geographical location, age, socioeconomic level, and others, as appropriate. meet not less than two times each year; and convene public meetings, as appropriate, to fulfill its duties under this section. Not later than 1 year after the first meeting of the Task Force, an initial report under subsection (c)(1). Not later than 2 years after the first meeting of the Task Force, an initial national strategy under subsection (c)(2). an updated report under subsection (c)(1); an updated national strategy under subsection (c)(2); or if no update is made under subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2), a report summarizing the activities of the Task Force. Upon finalizing the initial national strategy under subsection (c)(2), and upon making relevant updates to such strategy, the Task Force shall submit a report to the Governors of all States describing any opportunities for local- and State-level partnerships identified under subsection (c)(2). The Task Force shall terminate on September 30, 2027. The Secretary may relieve the Task Force, in carrying out subsections (c) through (f), from responsibility for carrying out such activities as may be specified by the Secretary as duplicative of other activities carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services.” The Director of the Center shall— design national goals and establish national priorities for— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 29, 2022], the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for purposes of identifying, evaluating, and making recommendations to coordinate and improve Federal activities related to addressing maternal mental health conditions, shall— The Task Force shall be composed of— The Federal members of the Task Force shall consist of the following heads of Federal departments and agencies (or their designees): The non-Federal members of the Task Force shall— include— The Task Force shall— prepare and regularly update a report that analyzes and evaluates the state of maternal mental health programs at the Federal level, and identifies best practices with respect to maternal mental health (which may include co-occurring substance use disorders), including— a set of evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising practices with respect to— develop and regularly update a national strategy for maternal mental health, taking into consideration the findings of the report under paragraph (1), on how the Task Force and Federal departments and agencies represented on the Task Force may prioritize options for, and may improve coordination with respect to, addressing maternal mental health conditions, including by— The Task Force shall— The Task Force shall make publicly available and submit to the heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and other relevant congressional committees, the following: Each year thereafter— (Source: (July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title V, § 520, as added Pub. L. 102–321, title I, § 115(a), July 10, 1992, 106 Stat. 346; amended Pub. L. 106–310, div. B, title XXXI, § 3112(c), Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1188; Pub. L. 114–255, div. B, title VI, § 6007(a), Dec. 13, 2016, 130 Stat. 1212.))