Press

U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) this week reintroduced the Achieving Thorough Transparency & Accessibility for Information Navigation (ATTAIN) on Mental Health Act. This bipartisan legislation would create a user-friendly online dashboard to assist applicants in identifying federal grants that support mental health and address substance use.

“Every person deserves equal access to mental health care services, but many rural communities in Nebraska are still being left behind. This bipartisan legislation takes a crucial step forward by bridging this gap and bringing vital services to those who need them most,” said Fischer.

“In Minnesota and across the country, too many people don’t have access to the mental or behavioral health care they need. This bipartisan legislation will improve access to mental health care by making it faster and easier for organizations to apply for mental health grant funding. I'll be working to move it forward with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle so that people can get the health care they need, when they need it,” said Smith.

Background:

The ATTAIN Mental Health Act would establish an interactive, web-based dashboard for potential applicants from a variety of sectors across our communities — such as state and local educational agencies, nonprofits, faith and community-based organizations, mental health treatment facilities, municipal governments, tribal governments, and first responders. The dashboard would provide organizations with the ability to review eligibility and status information for mental health and substance use grant funding across multiple federal agencies. The legislation would task the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with developing this online tool in a collaborative interagency effort.

The legislation has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the First Responders Foundation, At Ease USA, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Read the full text of the bill 
here.