,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ecfe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #g1 #bjbf,mr4 ,booker introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 to award grants to train community mental wellness workers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,community ,mental ,wellness ,worker ,training ,act4 #b4 ,training community mental wellness workers ,part ,d of title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;dd et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #eed4 ,training community mental wellness workers 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary1 may award grants to eligible entities to implement community mental wellness worker training programs4 7b7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds received through such grant to carry out a community mental wellness worker training program1 which may include-- 7#a7 supporting training1 certification1 and supervision during and after training of community mental wellness workers and community mental wellness supervisors-- 7,a7 to screen for common mental health and substance use conditions2 and 7,b7 to deliver evidence-informed1 culturally and linguistically competent counseling and interviewing interventions addressing basic psychosocial or psychotherapeutic treatment needs of persons with or at risk for mental and substance use disorders1 including safety planning and interventions to reduce suicide risk2 and 7#b7 covering costs associated with-- 7,a7 the acquisition and use of digital platforms to provide the screening1 training1 supervision1 and ongoing quality assurance monitoring1 outcomes evaluation1 and delivery of evidence-based treatments2 7,b7 the delivery of counseling and interviewing interventions described in paragraph 7#a77;,b72 and 7,c7 the clinical supervision 7during and after training7 of community mental wellness workers and the certification of such workers upon the completion of required training4 7c7 ,community mental wellness technical assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may provide appropriate training and technical assistance to eligible entities receiving a grant under this section in meeting the requirements of this section1 including by-- 7,a7 consulting with such recipients on evidence-based employment practices for community mental wellness workers1 including assistance with integrating community wellness workers into the workflows of such recipients and other eligible entities2 7,b7 identifying a diverse array of candidates for community mental wellness worker training2 and 7,c7 identifying behavioral health providers who may benefit from and employ community mental wellness workers4 7#b7 ,additional dissemination of technical assistance ,the information and resources provided by the ,secretary under paragraph 7#a7 shall be made available to ,states1 political subdivisions of ,states1 ,indian ,tribes and ,tribal organizations 7as defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act71 outpatient and inpatient substance use treatment providers1 other community-based behavioral health organizations1 and other entities as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7d7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that-- 7#a7 are located-- 7,a7 in an area with rates of poverty and unemployment that exceed the average in the ,united ,states1 as determined by the survey conducted by the ,secretary of ,commerce commonly referred to as the #8,american ,community ,survey' 7or any successor survey72 7,b7 in a medically underserved community2 or 7,c7 in an area with rates of substance use that exceed the average in the ,united ,states1 as determined by the ,national ,institute on ,drug ,abuse2 or 7#b7 are serving communities with rates of individuals who are dually eligible for both the ,medicare program under title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act and the ,medicaid program under title ,,xix of such ,act that exceed the average in the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,malpractice and negligence suits against community behavioral health clinic and community mental health centers 7#a7 ,in general ,except as inconsistent with this subsection1 the provisions of section #bbd1 including subsections 7g71 7h71 7i71 7j71 7k71 and 7l7 of such section1 shall apply with respect to acts and omissions of a covered entity that occur during the period of the grant under this section1 to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply with respect to an entity described in subsection 7g77#d7 of such section #bbd1 and any officer1 governing board member1 employee1 or contractor of such an entity4 7#b7 ,list required ,each covered entity described in paragraph 7#c77;,a7 shall submit to the ,secretary1 and update as necessary1 a list of each officer1 governing board member1 employee1 or contractor participating in the entity's program funded through a grant under this section4 7#c7 ,covered entity defined ,in this subsection1 the term covered entity means an entity that-- 7,a7 is an eligible entity 7as defined in subsection 7g77#c77 in receipt of a grant under this section2 and 7,b7 7i7 is an officer1 governing board member1 or employee of such an entity or a contractor of such an entity who is a physician or other licensed or certified health care practitioner2 and 7ii7 is participating in the entity's program funded through a grant under this section1 as indicated in a list submitted pursuant to paragraph 7#b74 7#d7 ,delayed applicability ,this subsection applies beginning with respect to the first full fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this section4 7f7 ,report 7#a7 ,submission ,the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress-- 7,a7 not later than one year after the date of enactment of this section1 an interim report on the results of the grant program under this section2 and 7,b7 not later than the end of fiscal year #bjca1 a final report of such results4 7#b7 ,contents ,the reports required by paragraph 7#a7 shall each include-- 7,a7 the total number of community mental wellness workers participating in the grant program under this section2 and 7,b7 the total number of community mental wellness workers who obtained certification through such participation4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term community mental wellness worker means an individual trained and certified by an eligible entity to assist with providing basic screening and evidence-based treatments to individuals with a mild to moderate mental health or substance use disorder1 including depression1 anxiety1 post-traumatic stress disorder1 and alcohol use disorder4 7#b7 ,the term culturally and linguistically competent means1 with respect to the provision of counseling and interviewing interventions1 providing such services in a manner that acknowledges1 and is responsive to1 cultural differences that may derive from characteristics of the individual receiving such services1 including-- 7,a7 gender2 7,b7 sex2 7,c7 sexual orientation2 7,d7 race or ethnicity2 7,e7 nationality2 7,f7 socioeconomic level2 7,g7 immigration status2 7,h7 disability2 7,i7 ,tribal affiliation2 and 7,j7 veteran status4 7#c7 ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 a certified community behavioral health clinic 7as described in section #bbc7;a7 of the ,protecting ,access to ,medicare ,act of #bjad72 7,b7 a community mental health center 7as described in section #aiac7;c772 7,c7 a hospital that is described in section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code2 and 7,d7 such other community behavioral health organizations as the ,secretary may specify1 in consultation with-- 7i7 ,state authorities responsible for regulating substance use and mental health providers and facilities receiving reimbursement under a ,state plan under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7or a waiver of such plan72 and 7ii7 other ,state substance abuse and mental health agencies4 7#d7 ,the term medically underserved community has the meaning given such term in section #gii;,b4 7h7 ,funding 7#a7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section1 #be1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca4 7#b7 ,allocation ,of the funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year1 not less than #bj percent shall be reserved for the provision of training and technical assistance under subsection 7c74 4