,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #accd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #f1 #bjai,mrs4 ,capito 7for herself and ,ms4 ,hassan7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,authorizing a program to promote innovative approaches to securing prompt access to appropriate care for individuals presenting at emergency departments with acute mental health illness4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving ,mental ,health ,access from the ,emergency ,department4 #b4 ,program to support access to appropriate care for individuals presenting at emergency departments with acute mental health illness ,subpart #c of part ,b of title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#ca et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ebj,n4 ,securing appropriate care for acute mental health illness following an emergency department encounter 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,center for ,mental ,health ,services1 may award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to implement innovative approaches to securing prompt access to appropriate follow-on care for individuals experiencing acute mental health episodes and presenting for care in emergency departments4 7b7 ,eligible entities ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an entity shall be a health care facility licensed under applicable law that-- 7#a7 has an emergency department2 7#b7 is staffed by medical personnel 7which may include 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 individuals 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 ,an entity receiving a grant under this section shall use funds received under such grant to create1 support1 or expand programs or projects intended to assist individuals who are treated at its emergency department for acute mental health episodes and to expeditiously transition such individuals to an appropriate facility or setting for follow-on care4 ,such uses may include any of the following3 7#a7 ,emergency department evaluation1 treatment1 stabilization1 observation1 and referral 7including implementation of validated screening tools74 7#b7 ,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#c7 ,increasing the supply of inpatient psychiatric beds and alternative care settings such as regional emergency psychiatric facilities4 7#d7 ,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#e7 ,such other activities as the ,secretary may determine appropriate4 7d7 ,application ,an eligible entity 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 entity's service area4 7#b7 ,a description of the existing efforts of the entity 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 needs and gaps identified under paragraph 7#b74 7#d7 ,a description of how the entity will coordinate its 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 ,for the purpose of carrying out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated #ae1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe4 4