Pa. House approves $100 million plan to fund adult mental health services

The state House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to distribute $100 million of federal COVID-19 relief funding for adult mental health services.

The bill, which passed by a 173-30 vote, now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The money from the American Rescue Plan Act was described by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh County, as “both large and small” because while the dollar amount is large, there is a tremendous need for mental health care across the commonwealth.

The funding, which was included in last year’s budget package but not spent, will be split among grant programs in workforce development, services and supports and criminal justice and public safety.

Background: Last year, when Republicans had a majority in the House and Senate, the allocation of the $100 million in federal dollars was approved. A 24-person bipartisan Behavioral Health Commission was established to make recommendations on how that money should be spent. The commission comprising legislators, law enforcement, social workers and psychologists didn’t complete its work until after the legislative session ended last year.

According to the bill, the funding from the American Rescue Plan must be allocated by July 1, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026.

What’s in the bill: Schlossberg said the number one issue he consistently hears about in the mental health field is workforce retention.

His bill, House Bill 849, will allocate $34 million to retaining workers, with grants for training, recruiting, retention strategies and student loan repayment assistance for individuals employed as mental health workers in county jails and state prisons. It would distribute that money through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency in the form of tuition assistance, internships, residencies and fellowships for individuals pursuing degrees or certifications in the mental health field.

Grant recipients would be required to work in the commonwealth for at least three years upon completion of their program.

Some $31.5 million of the funding would be earmarked for competitive grants for criminal justice and public safety programs. This includes gun violence prevention, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, first responder crisis intervention training and pre-arrest diversion programs, among others. It also would assure every county mental health administration would receive at least $20,000 for mental health and substance use disorder services.

Last week, the County Commissioners’ Association of Pennsylvania held a Capitol about the underfunding of mental health services in counties across the commonwealth.

The remaining $34.5 million would be directed to ensuring the stability and expansion of mental health services. Of that money, $18 million will solely be awarded to county-provider partnerships that work on crisis care patients, such as suicide prevention. The remainder would go to drug and alcohol programs.

What people said: Schlossberg said the bill does not “exist in isolation,” and that through the governor’s budget and other legislation, $100 million could be allotted for children’s mental health and $20 million may go to county mental health services.

The bill didn’t pass without criticism. Rep. Dawn Keefer, R-York County, said in her floor remarks that the money will be “eaten up by bureaucracy” if it’s distributed using a grant system.

“Our counties will have to come back and compete for these dollars,” Keefer said. “Those with the best grant writers and lobbyists will win.”

Schlossberg called the comment “disingenuous,” speaking to reporters after the session. He said pushing the recovery money through as a block grant was supported by both caucuses and noted only 30 representatives, all Republicans, voted against the bill.

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