Congress Boosts Budget For MH Research, Treatment

Abstract

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government NewsFull AccessCongress Boosts Budget For MH Research, TreatmentChristine LehmannChristine LehmannSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Feb 2002https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.37.3.0002In December Congress approved a 15 percent increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which will allow it to continue expanding its research portfolio in Fiscal 2002. President George W. Bush immediately signed the federal spending measure into law.The increase of nearly $3 billion—which gives NIH a total budget of $23 billion—drew praise from APA and other members of the Mental Health Liaison Group for being nearly half a billion dollars more than what Bush and the House of Representatives had recommendedRoughly 1 percent of that increase is slated for non-NIH activities, leaving the NIH with a funding increase of 14 percent, according to Lizbet Boroughs, an associate director of the APA Division of Government Relations.The Mental Health Liaison Group and the Ad Hoc Group on Research Funding, of which APA is also a member, have advocated each year for specific increases in the NIH budget with the goal of doubling the total budget over a five-year period ending next fiscal year. The Ad Hoc Group on Research Funding was successful in obtaining increases of 15 percent in FY 1999 and FY 2000 and 14 percent in FY 2001 and FY 2002.The Senate typically passes higher increases for NIH than does the House. The conference agreement reflects the average between the two bodies’ recommendations. In 2001 the Senate passed an increase for NIH of 16.5 percent, for which the Ad Hoc Group on Research Funding had advocated, but the House passed the president’s requested increase of 13.5 percent; the difference was split in conference.Similar budget compromises were reached last December for the three institutes involved in mental health and addictive disorders. The budget for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was increased 13 percent, for a total of $1.249 billion; the budget for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was increased 12 percent, for a total of $888 million; and the budget for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) was increased by 12 percent, for a total of $384 million, according to the final conference agreement. Last year’s increases were 14 percent for NIMH and NIDA, and 16 percent for NIAAA.Jeremy Lazarus, M.D., chair of APA’s Joint Commission on Government Relations, commented to Psychiatric News, “We are pleased with the substantial increases for these institutes and mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention. Congress is increasingly aware of the importance of research and treatment of those with mental illness or substance abuse. We applaud their approval of the increases that will advance research and treatment of our patients.”As the Senate and House began the appropriations process last spring, members of APA’s Academic Consortium visited key representatives and aides on Capitol Hill (Psychiatric News, May 4, 2001) to convey the message that medical research can significantly improve people’s lives.“Patient advocates described to congressional aides how they have benefited from the newer medications,” said Boroughs. “A veteran with schizophrenia said he went from being homeless and in and out of hospitals to working part time and living independently.”The budget for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was increased by roughly 6 percent, to $3.138 billion for FY 2002. The FY 2002 budget for the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), which is part of SAMHSA, is $832 million, representing an increase of 6 percent. Specific programs within CMHS were also increased:• The Mental Health Block Grant, which is administered by the states to fund programs serving people with severe mental illnesses and children with severe emotional disturbances.• The Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness (known as PATH), which is another state-administered grant program to fund community-based services for homeless individuals with mental illness.• Programs of Regional and National Significance, which include funding for new national initiatives. These include the jail-diversion program that would fund treatment and community supports for nonviolent criminal offenders with severe mental illnesses, research and treatment of youth with posttraumatic stress disorder, the development of model suicide-prevention programs, mental health counseling of public safety workers, and mental health education and services to senior citizens.• The Children’s Mental Health Program, which grants funding to states to provide community-based services to children with serious emotional disorders.• The Youth Violence Prevention Program, which funds state efforts to reduce school-based violence through early intervention and treatment.Congress approved a 5 percent increase for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment within SAMHSA, for a total FY 2002 budget of $2.017 billion. The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention had a budget increase of 13 percent, for a budget of $198 million. ▪ ISSUES NewArchived