Bill Overview
Title: ATTAIN Mental Health Act
Description: This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a public-facing, online dashboard to publicize federally funded mental health grants. The dashboard must contain, for example, program names and opening and closing dates for applications. In addition, HHS must establish a process to include information voluntarily provided by states about their federally supported mental health grants on the dashboard. In developing the dashboard, HHS must consult with appropriate federal departments and agencies and other stakeholders.
Sponsors: Rep. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE-At Large]
Target Audience
Population: Individuals in need of or benefiting from improved mental health services globally
Estimated Size: 50000000
- The bill focuses on increased transparency and accessibility for mental health grants, which are aimed at organizations providing mental health services.
- Organizations that provide mental health services would benefit from better access to federal mental health grants.
- This bill impacts individuals in need of mental health services, as organizations benefiting from federal grants might improve or expand their services.
- Since mental health is a global issue, broader awareness and methodologies might get adapted to other countries as well.
- A vast majority would include those indirectly impacted through societal benefits of improved mental health services.
Reasoning
- The budget for the policy implementation suggests a modest scale over 10 years focused on establishing and maintaining a public-facing dashboard. Given this framework, the direct impact might be primarily on organizations, not individuals directly seeking care.
- Many Americans may benefit indirectly if the organizations they rely on for mental health services optimize their services through better grant opportunities.
- Those who are digitally savvy and well-informed about mental health resources might notice more immediate benefits, but others may require guidance and outreach efforts to understand and leverage the new dashboard.
- The effectiveness of the dashboard will largely depend on how well it is publicized and how user-friendly it is.
- Given that the policy requires coordination with various stakeholders, initial challenges might include streamlining data across state and federal sources.
Simulated Interviews
Social worker (New York, NY)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The transparency provided by the new policy will make it easier for us to identify suitable grant opportunities.
- Currently, tracking available grants and their deadlines is a complex process, this dashboard might simplify my job significantly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Veteran (Austin, TX)
Age: 51 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I am hopeful this will lead to better funding for community-based mental health programs which I rely on for therapy.
- Accessing direct information isn't my thing, but I trust my therapist could benefit indirectly from the improved services.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
University student (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Being a part of the student body advocating for mental health, I find the dashboard intriguing and potentially useful for applying support for campus programs.
- This may improve how we pitch for grants from the administration if the information is readily accessible.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Retired (Rural Kentucky)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If this policy helps attract more mental health resources to rural areas, that would be great.
- The biggest hurdle is whether clinics in my area have the staff to utilize these federal grants effectively.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Tech support representative (Seattle, WA)
Age: 30 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This dashboard should increase accountability and transparency which is fantastic for community organizations.
- Knowing exactly when and where funds are going makes it easier to track and apply for opportunities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
School counselor (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 43 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Our school could benefit from knowing more about available federal grants and perhaps we can apply more efficiently with the information from the dashboard.
- Previously, this information was scattered, making it difficult to access time-sensitive opportunities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Barista (Chicago, IL)
Age: 27 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I usually get such information from my friends or local news, but if more funds are made available, the places I frequent for therapy might see improvements.
- I am not directly engaging with such dashboards, but indirectly it’s nice to know new opportunities could pop up for my therapists.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Policy analyst (Miami, FL)
Age: 55 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- From a policy perspective, it's critical to have transparent information available. It allows better analysis and monitoring of funding usage.
- This platform could help streamline the process of applying for grants and thus indirectly benefit the end-users.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Primary care physician (Denver, CO)
Age: 48 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If the policy leads to more comprehensive integration of services, that’s positive. But we need accessible tools and resources ready for use by patients.
- The dashboard could serve as a resource, but the challenge is how to convert it into actionable intelligence in clinical settings.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Non-profit director (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 35 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- A centralized system for grant opportunities is exactly what we need; it cuts down time searching.
- If this dashboard can consolidate all our options, it could ease the application process and potentially enhance service delivery.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $2000000 (Low: $1500000, High: $3000000)
Year 2: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Year 3: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Year 5: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Year 10: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Year 100: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Key Considerations
- The actual cost will depend significantly on the complexity and features of the proposed dashboard.
- State participation in providing data to the dashboard may vary, affecting overall effectiveness.
- Costs related to training, outreach, and stakeholder consultation are crucial for successful implementation.