Early Childhood

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should require mental health screenings when a child enters foster care and comprehensive assessments when a mental health challenge is identified; improve and invest in the availability and provision of mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services for youth in foster care; and provide technical assistance for states to cover certain specialized services for foster youth enrolled in Medicaid who have intensive MH/SUD needs with guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).[1][2][3]

The National Institute of Mental Health should fund research on the causes and potential treatments for postpartum psychosis, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) should convene relevant clinical specialty associations to create screening and treatment guidelines.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) should issue recommendations on screening for suicide risk in depression screeners for perinatal and postpartum periods. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) should update its Women’s Preventive Service Guidelines to incorporate maternal mental health screening and intervention.

Congress should pass the Reconnecting Communities Act, which would address infrastructure barriers that impede mobility and connectivity, focusing on communities of color and low-income communities. It would also create a program under the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award grants for community engagement, education, and capacity building; planning and feasibility studies; and capital construction.[1]

Congress should enact legislation requiring all providers to provide and all health plans to reimburse for evidence-based mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) screening during annual well-child and adult physical exams. This should include an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) component in addition to Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).[1][2]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Administration on Children Youth and Families (ACYF) should disseminate best practices for states regarding interventions and strategies to keep families together when it can be done safely (e.g., using a relative for kinship care).[1][2][3]