CEO Update 236
NABH and Partners Plan Next Steps After Passage of H.R. 1
After President Trump signed into law H.R. 1 on July 4, NABH and partner organizations and coalitions have begun to plan next steps to minimize adverse impacts on healthcare providers, including through advocacy to the administration during the implementation phase.
One key opportunity is through the Rural Health Transformation Program, for which $10 billion is allocated annually from fiscal year 2026 to 2030, totaling $50 billion. States can apply to use funds for a variety of purposes, such as increasing access to care, provider recruitment and training, and developing partnerships with academic institutions. It appears that psychiatric hospitals are ineligible to receive these funds from states, but NABH is seeking clarity on this issue.
Thank you to the over 1,500 individuals affiliated with NABH members that reached out to their Congressional representatives regarding H.R. 1. We urge you to continue to engage your representatives with areas of concern, and we are committed to supporting you in doing so.
SAMHSA Announces Virtual Meeting on Older Adult Recovery
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced a virtual meeting focused on helping older adults achieve or sustain recovery from behavioral health conditions. Topics include identifying best practices, exploring approaches to person-centered planning that supports self-directed recovery, and discussing how to integrate the spectrum of recovery-oriented services.
The meeting will take place on July 16 and 17, and the deadline to register is today.
Study Finds Children’s Behavioral Health Has Worsened Within the Past Two Decades
On Monday, JAMA published a study that found that children’s health status in the United States declined significantly in the past two decades.
The prevalence of 22 common chronic conditions increased by at least 10%, with behavioral health conditions – including anxiety, eating disorders, and depression – experiencing some of the largest increases. Symptoms of depression and loneliness also grew by approximately 50% in 9th to 12th graders and adolescents aged 12 to 18, respectively.
Additionally, compared with peer high-income countries, children aged 1 to 19 were 80% more likely to die. Substance use-associated deaths were a contributor to this disparity, as they were over 5 times more likely to occur in the United States. Rates of suicide, however, were similar across countries.
ICYMI: HHS Announces Funding Opportunity for Behavioral Health Information Technology Pilot
HHS recently announced a funding opportunity to promote behavioral health data exchange and pilot the implementation of a specified set of behavioral health data elements.
HHS anticipates distributing $5 million across six to 10 participants, which will include a wide range of provider organizations that receive SAMHSA grant funds or partner with recipients. More information can be found in the Request for Application and Frequently Asked Questions document.
The deadline for the expression of interest was Wednesday, July 2. For those who expressed interest, full applications are due Wednesday, Aug. 27.
An HHS representative has offered to schedule a meeting between NABH members and the contractor administering the program to provide more detailed information and answer questions ahead of the application deadline. Please reach out to Dan Schwartz if you are interested in attending such a meeting. If there is sufficient interest, we will proceed with scheduling.
Reminder: CMS Releases RFI to Gather Information on Improving Hospital Price Transparency
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public feedback about whether and how the agency can improve hospital price transparency (HPT) compliance and enforcement processes.
This RFI relates to the President’s Executive Order 14221 to ensure compliance with the transparent reporting of complete, accurate, and meaningful HPT data. Click here to read the RFI.
The deadline to respond to the RFI is Monday, July 21.
Fact of the Week
Results of a nationally representative survey showed that during a mental health crisis, respondents were most likely to see support from a friend or family member (45%), a mental health professional (34%), or a crisis line (28%). The likelihood to seek support from a particular source varied depending on level of distress as well as demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, race, age, education level, political party affiliation). The finding that a relatively low proportion of respondents would reach out to a mental health professional or crisis line led the study authors to recommend that efforts to increase access to these services “may be enhanced if complemented by demographically-tailored communication campaigns that promote help seeking from these and other sources.”
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.