White House To Allocate $100M To Boost Mental Health Care
On Tuesday, Vice President Biden is expected to announce a new two-pronged federal initiative that will provide a total of $100 million in funding to boost mental health care programs and expand access to such care, Reuters reports.
A White House official familiar with the plan said Biden will make the announcement during a meeting with families of victims of the mass-casualty shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school on Dec. 14, 2012 (Mason, Reuters, 12/10).
Background
In mid-June, the Obama administration quietly moved forward with a gun-control package of 23 executive orders that included several mental health provisions. The package -- which President Obama signed in January -- was developed by Biden in consultation with more than 220 groups, including public health organizations and medical societies (California Healthline, 6/13).
Announcement Details
According to the White House, the package of $100 million in new funding will be allocated for efforts "to increase access to mental health services and improve mental health facilities."
About $50 million will come from the Affordable Care Act to assist community centers in providing more mental health services (Jackson, USA Today, 12/10). The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide the remaining $50 million to construct new or expand current mental health facilities in rural areas over the next three years (Boyer, Washington Times, 12/10).
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