Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) led 19 of their colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education & Related Agencies leadership.  In the letter, the lawmakers made the case for including $60 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants in Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations legislation.  This funding would help to more widely implement behavioral health care into primary care settings, and, for the first time, would provide funding to implement the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM).  CoCM is a team-based model of integrated psychiatric and primary care that treats mental illnesses in the primary care setting. 

“Our country is experiencing a behavioral health crisis with suicide and overdose deaths at record levels,” the Members wrote.  “Many individuals first display symptoms of a mental health condition or substance use disorder in the primary care setting, but frequently cannot access the necessary follow-up treatment.  In addition, patients often have difficulty finding a mental health professional or avoid seeking treatment due to the stigma that still exists around mental health and substance use disorders.  Primary care and behavioral health integration through widely adopted models, such as the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) and the Primary Care Behavioral Health Model (PCBH), provide a strong building block to address these problems by ensuring that patients can receive prompt behavioral health treatment within the office of their primary care clinician.” 

“Critically, the FY23 Omnibus authorized SAMHSA’s Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants to include support for primary care practices to implement the CoCM,” the Members continued.  “Funding SAMHSA’s Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants at the full authorization level is an important first step towards ensuring that the CoCM is more widely implemented.”

This letter builds off of Congresswoman Fletcher’s past support for the CoCM model, including her bill, H.R. 5218, the Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner (COCM) Act from last Congress.  The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 included a version of Congresswoman Fletcher’s COCM Act, which initially passed the House in June, and amended SAMHSA’s Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants to include support for primary care practices to implement the CoCm, and ensured that SAMHSA allocates 10 percent of grant funds from this program to practices implementing the CoCM.