Community Mental Wellness Worker Training Act

This Act may be cited as the “Community Mental Wellness Worker Training Act”.

Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“554. Training community mental wellness workers.—

(a) In general.— The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, may award grants to eligible entities to implement community mental wellness worker training programs.

(b) Use of funds.— An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds received through such grant to carry out a community mental wellness worker training program, which may include—

(1) supporting training, certification, and supervision during and after training of community mental wellness workers and community mental wellness supervisors—

(A) to screen for common mental health and substance use conditions; and

(B) to deliver evidence-informed, culturally and linguistically competent counseling and interviewing interventions addressing basic psychosocial or psychotherapeutic treatment needs of persons with or at risk for mental and substance use disorders, including safety planning and interventions to reduce suicide risk; and

(2) covering costs associated with—

(A) the acquisition and use of digital platforms to provide the screening, training, supervision, and ongoing quality assurance monitoring, outcomes evaluation, and delivery of evidence-based treatments;

(B) the delivery of counseling and interviewing interventions described in paragraph (1)(B); and

(C) the clinical supervision (during and after training) of community mental wellness workers and the certification of such workers upon the completion of required training.

(c) Community mental wellness technical assistance.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may provide appropriate training and technical assistance to eligible entities receiving a grant under this section in meeting the requirements of this section, including by—

(A) consulting with such recipients on evidence-based employment practices for community mental wellness workers, including assistance with integrating community wellness workers into the workflows of such recipients and other eligible entities;

(B) identifying a diverse array of candidates for community mental wellness worker training; and

(C) identifying behavioral health providers who may benefit from and employ community mental wellness workers.

(2) Additional dissemination of technical assistance.— The information and resources provided by the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall be made available to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act), outpatient and inpatient substance use treatment providers, other community-based behavioral health organizations, and other entities as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(d) Priority.— In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that—

(1) are located—

(A) in an area with rates of poverty and unemployment that exceed the average in the United States, as determined by the survey conducted by the Secretary of Commerce commonly referred to as the ‘American Community Survey’ (or any successor survey);

(B) in a medically underserved community; or

(C) in an area with rates of substance use that exceed the average in the United States, as determined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse; or

(2) are serving communities with rates of individuals who are dually eligible for both the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act and the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act that exceed the average in the United States.

(e) Malpractice and negligence suits against community behavioral health clinic and community mental health centers.—

(1) In general.— Except as inconsistent with this subsection, the provisions of section 224, including subsections (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l) of such section, shall apply with respect to acts and omissions of a covered entity that occur during the period of the grant under this section, to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply with respect to an entity described in subsection (g)(4) of such section 224, and any officer, governing board member, employee, or contractor of such an entity.

(2) List required.— Each covered entity described in paragraph (3)(A) shall submit to the Secretary, and update as necessary, a list of each officer, governing board member, employee, or contractor participating in the entity’s program funded through a grant under this section.

(3) Covered entity defined.— In this subsection, the term covered entity means an entity that—

(A) is an eligible entity (as defined in subsection (g)(3)) in receipt of a grant under this section; and

(B)

(i) is an officer, governing board member, or employee of such an entity or a contractor of such an entity who is a physician or other licensed or certified health care practitioner; and

(ii) is participating in the entity’s program funded through a grant under this section, as indicated in a list submitted pursuant to paragraph (2).

(4) Delayed applicability.— This subsection applies beginning with respect to the first full fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this section.

(f) Report.—

(1) Submission.— The Secretary shall submit to Congress—

(A) not later than one year after the date of enactment of this section, an interim report on the results of the grant program under this section; and

(B) not later than the end of fiscal year 2031, a final report of such results.

(2) Contents.— The reports required by paragraph (1) shall each include—

(A) the total number of community mental wellness workers participating in the grant program under this section; and

(B) the total number of community mental wellness workers who obtained certification through such participation.

(g) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) The term community mental wellness worker means an individual trained and certified by an eligible entity to assist with providing basic screening and evidence-based treatments to individuals with a mild to moderate mental health or substance use disorder, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol use disorder.

(2) The term culturally and linguistically competent means, with respect to the provision of counseling and interviewing interventions, providing such services in a manner that acknowledges, and is responsive to, cultural differences that may derive from characteristics of the individual receiving such services, including—

(A) gender;

(B) sex;

(C) sexual orientation;

(D) race or ethnicity;

(E) nationality;

(F) socioeconomic level;

(G) immigration status;

(H) disability;

(I) Tribal affiliation; and

(J) veteran status.

(3) The term eligible entity means—

(A) a certified community behavioral health clinic (as described in section 223(a) of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014);

(B) a community mental health center (as described in section 1913(c));

(C) a hospital that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and

(D) such other community behavioral health organizations as the Secretary may specify, in consultation with—

(i) State authorities responsible for regulating substance use and mental health providers and facilities receiving reimbursement under a State plan under title XIX of the Social Security Act (or a waiver of such plan); and

(ii) other State substance abuse and mental health agencies.

(4) The term medically underserved community has the meaning given such term in section 799B.

(h) Funding.—

(1) Authorization of appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(2) Allocation.— Of the funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year, not less than 20 percent shall be reserved for the provision of training and technical assistance under subsection (c).”.