Professional Training

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should require organizations receiving federal funds, including states and local units of government, to adopt HHS’s Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards in health and health care settings.[1]

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should provide technical assistance to provider practices for integrating behavioral health and primary care services. Congress should fund the Primary Care Extension Program (PCEP) at $110 million over ten years, and establish grant funding for technical assistance for the implementation and ongoing delivery of integrated care.[1]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) should develop culturally competent guidelines for mental health and substance use service providers[1], particularly those serving predominantly underserved communities—particularly Black/African American; Hispanic/Latino; Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander; American Indian and Alaska Native; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex(LGBTQI+) communities[2][3]—through inclusive and responsive community engagement.

The Department of Health and Human Services should develop a model training program to be disseminated to all levels of medical education (including all prescribers) on screening for mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) to identify at-risk patients.[1]

All federally-supported medical, nursing, and other clinician training programs should be required to incorporate training on the diagnosis and treatment of addiction into their curricula.[1]

Congress should require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue Medicaid guidance to increase mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) provider education, recruitment, and retention and improve workforce capacity in rural and underserved areas.[1]