,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #ddd #aafth  
,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #beai
 ,report ,no4 #aaf-edd ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,may #c1
 #bjai,mr4 ,ruiz introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,september #bi1 #bjbj;,additional       
sponsors3 ,miss ,rice of ,new ,york and 
,mr4 ,trone  ,september #bi1            
#bjbj,reported with an amendment2       
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union and ordered to be printed,strike 
out all after the enacting clause and   
insert the part printed in italic,for   
text of introduced bill1 see copy of    
bill as introduced on ,may #c1 #bjai  ,a
 ,,bill  ,to authorize the ,secretary of
 ,health and ,human ,services1 acting   
through the ,director of the ,center for
 ,mental ,health ,services of the       
,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health   
,services ,administration1 to award     
grants to implement innovative          

approaches to securing prompt access to 
appropriate follow-on care for          
individuals who experience an acute     
mental health episode and present for   
care in an emergency department1 and for
 other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,improving    
,mental ,health ,access from the        
,emergency ,department ,act of #bjbj4   
#b4 ,securing appropriate follow-on care
 for acute mental health illness after  
an emergency department encounter ,the  
,public ,health ,service ,act is amended
 by inserting after section #ebj;,j of  
such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#ca7   
the following new section3  #ebj;,j-#a4 
,securing appropriate follow-on care for
 acute mental health illness after an   
emergency department encounter  7a7 ,in 
general ,the ,secretary may award grants
 on a competitive basis to qualifying   
health providers to implement innovative
 approaches to securing prompt access to
 appropriate follow-on care for         
individuals who experience an acute     

mental health episode and present for   
care in an emergency department4  7b7   
,eligible grant recipients ,in this     
section1 the term qualifying health     
provider means a health care facility   
licensed under applicable law that--    
7#a7 has an emergency department2  7#b7 
is staffed by medical personnel 7such as
 emergency physicians1 psychiatrists1   
psychiatric registered nurses1 mental   
health technicians1 clinical social     
workers1 psychologists1 and therapists7 
capable of providing treatment focused  
on stabilizing acute mental health      
conditions and assisting patients to    
access resources to continue treatment  
in the least restrictive appropriate    
setting2 and  7#c7 has arrangements in  
place with other providers of care that 
can provide a full range of medically   
appropriate1 evidence-based services for
 the treatment of acute mental health   
episodes4  7c7 ,use of funds ,a         
qualifying health provider receiving    
funds under this section shall use such 

funds to create1 support1 or expand     
programs or projects intended to assist 
individuals who are treated at the      
provider's emergency department for     
acute mental health episodes and to     
expeditiously transition such           
individuals to an appropriate facility  
or setting for follow-on care4 ,such use
 of funds may support the following3    
7#a7 ,expediting placement in           
appropriate facilities through          
activities such as expanded coordination
 with regional service providers1       
assessment1 peer navigators1 bed        
availability tracking and management1   
transfer protocol development1          
networking infrastructure development1  
and transportation services4  7#b7      
,increasing the supply of inpatient     
psychiatric beds and alternative care   
settings such as regional emergency     
psychiatric facilities4  7#c7 ,use of   
alternative approaches to providing     
psychiatric care in the emergency       
department setting1 including through   

tele-psychiatric support and other      
remote psychiatric consultation1        
implementation of peak period crisis    
clinics1 or creation of psychiatric     
emergency service units4  7#d7 ,use of  
approaches that include proactive       
followup such as telephone check-ins1   
telemedicine1 or other technology-based 
outreach to individuals during the      
period of transition4  7#e7 ,such other 
activities as are determined by the     
,secretary to be appropriate1 consistent
 with subsection 7a74  7d7 ,application 
,a qualifying health provider desiring a
 grant under this section shall prepare 
and submit an application to the        
,secretary at such time and in such     
manner as the ,secretary may require4   
,at a minimum1 the application shall    
include the following3 7#a7 ,a          
description of identified need for acute
 mental health services in the          
provider's service area4  7#b7 ,a       
description of the existing efforts of  
the provider to meet the need for acute 

mental health services in the service   
area1 and identified gaps in the        
provision of such services4  7#c7 ,a    
description of the proposed use of funds
 to meet the need and gaps identified   
pursuant to paragraph 7#b74  7#d7 ,a    
description of how the provider will    
coordinate efforts with ,federal1       
,state1 local1 and private entities     
within the service area4  7#e7 ,a       
description of program objectives1 how  
the objectives are proposed to be met1  
and how the provider will evaluate      
outcomes relative to objectives4  7e7   
,authorization of appropriations ,to    
carry out this section1 there is        
authorized to be appropriated           
#ae1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years    
#bjba through #bjbe4  4  ,september #bi1
 #bjbj,reported with an amendment2      
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union and ordered to be printed