This bill, titled the Suicide Prevention Assistance Act, amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new grant program. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, will award these grants to primary care offices to provide essential self-harm and suicide prevention services. Grant recipients must use the funds to hire clinical social workers who will carry out key activities. Primary care physicians will screen patients for self-harm and suicide risks, notifying social workers of positive indicators. These social workers will then provide short-term prevention services and, when appropriate, refer patients to specialized health care facilities for long-term support. The program has specific limitations, allowing for a maximum of 10 grants nationwide, with no more than one grant per primary care office or per state. Each grant is capped at $500,000 for a two-year period, with potential for renewal. The Secretary is also mandated to develop comprehensive standards of practice for patient screening within 180 days, consulting with various stakeholder groups experienced in self-harm and suicide prevention. Grant-awarded primary care offices must submit quarterly reports detailing the number of patients screened, receiving short-term services, and referred for long-term care, along with adherence to screening standards. The Secretary will then compile these reports into biennial summaries for Congress and relevant Department of Health and Human Services subcomponents, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health, to evaluate the program's effectiveness.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Health
Suicide Prevention Assistance Act
USA119th CongressHR-2044| House
| Updated: 3/11/2025
This bill, titled the Suicide Prevention Assistance Act, amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new grant program. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, will award these grants to primary care offices to provide essential self-harm and suicide prevention services. Grant recipients must use the funds to hire clinical social workers who will carry out key activities. Primary care physicians will screen patients for self-harm and suicide risks, notifying social workers of positive indicators. These social workers will then provide short-term prevention services and, when appropriate, refer patients to specialized health care facilities for long-term support. The program has specific limitations, allowing for a maximum of 10 grants nationwide, with no more than one grant per primary care office or per state. Each grant is capped at $500,000 for a two-year period, with potential for renewal. The Secretary is also mandated to develop comprehensive standards of practice for patient screening within 180 days, consulting with various stakeholder groups experienced in self-harm and suicide prevention. Grant-awarded primary care offices must submit quarterly reports detailing the number of patients screened, receiving short-term services, and referred for long-term care, along with adherence to screening standards. The Secretary will then compile these reports into biennial summaries for Congress and relevant Department of Health and Human Services subcomponents, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health, to evaluate the program's effectiveness.