The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a funding opportunity of nearly $15 million for a three-year federal grant to establish a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) program that will strengthen the delivery of behavioral healthcare to residents of nursing homes and other long-term care (LTC) facilities.
The program is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and will establish a Center of Excellence for Building Capacity in Nursing Facilities to Care for Residents with Behavioral Health Conditions (Center for Excellence).
The Center for Excellence is expected to improve overall healthcare in nursing homes and other LTC facilities by providing direct consultation to staff to increase understanding, improve awareness, reduce stigmatization, and build knowledge and skills for effective resident care. The ultimate goal of the Center for Excellence is to strengthen and sustain effective behavioral health practices and achieve better outcomes for residents who have serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, substance use issues, or co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions. It will also ensure accessibility of evidence-based training and technical assistance focused on mental health disorder identification, treatment, and recovery support services.
The program will be funded with CMS Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funds, which come from collected CMPs that are imposed against nursing homes and other LTC facilities when they are not in substantial compliance with one or more Medicare and Medicaid program participation requirements. These funds may be reinvested to support activities that benefit nursing home residents and that protect or improve their quality of care or quality of life.
Funding of up to $4,962,223 each year for three years will be awarded to one grantee in late FY 2022. Eligible applicants are States, Indian tribes, or tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act), health facilities, or programs operated by or in accordance with a contract or grant with the Indian Health Service, or other public or private nonprofit entities. View the notice of funding opportunity here: https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-22-011.
CMS’s Behavioral Health Strategy can be accessed at https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Story-Page/behaviorial-health.
Issue:
Many residents living in LTC facilities are coping with substance abuse and mental health issues. Although related resources may be scarce in many communities, facilities are required to provide substance abuse and mental health services to these residents. Each facility should have access to a trained medical professional with whom they can consult for the care of these residents. Leaders of facilities must be proactive in order to provide all services needed by residents.
Discussion Points:
- Review your policies and procedures on behavioral health services for residents. Update as needed.
- Train all staff on your policies for behavioral health services. Provide education to employees on how to care for residents with behavioral health needs by scheduling an expert speaker, using videos, or other appropriate means. Document that these trainings occurred and file the signed document in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit to ensure that residents with substance abuse or mental health issues have appropriate care plans and interventions and that all staff are following these guidelines.
