Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is offering funding under the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) Program for Fiscal Year 2023. This grant is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), specifically through the Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development. The funding opportunity, designated HRSA-23-081, is designed to promote behavioral health integration into pediatric primary care by supporting the development and expansion of state, regional, or tribal pediatric mental health tele-consultation programs. These programs aim to equip pediatric primary care providers with training, technical assistance, care coordination support, and telehealth access to mental health specialists to address behavioral health needs of children and adolescents. This program addresses a critical national shortage of pediatric mental health services, especially in underserved and rural areas. With over 1 in 5 children in the U.S. experiencing mental, emotional, or behavioral conditions, and only half receiving treatment, PMHCA seeks to close the gap by enabling pediatric providers to diagnose, treat, and refer children with behavioral health disorders more effectively. Through a model of telehealth consultation and education, providers will gain immediate access to child and adolescent psychiatrists and other licensed mental health professionals. The program encourages partnerships with schools, emergency departments, and other child-serving organizations to broaden service reach and impact. It also includes an explicit emphasis on health equity, encouraging applicants to prioritize historically underserved populations. HRSA plans to award up to 36 cooperative agreements under this opportunity, with funding drawn from both annual appropriations and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. There are three types of eligible applicants: (1) entities currently funded under HRSA PMHCA grants from FY 2018 or FY 2019 seeking competing continuation; (2) entities with previous PMHCA experience but not currently funded under the 2021 or 2022 cycles; and (3) new applicants with no prior PMHCA experience. Competing continuation and experienced new applicants may request up to $700,000 annually for three years. New applicants without prior experience may request $500,000 per year and are expected to use the first year for planning and infrastructure development. All applicants must provide a non-federal cost match of at least 20% per year. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov using the SF-424 application package. The Letter of Intent (LOI), although optional, was requested by May 1, 2023. Full applications were due by June 22, 2023. The project period runs from September 30, 2023, to September 29, 2026. Applications must include a project narrative, budget, work plan, organizational chart, staffing plan, and letters of support, particularly from State Title V Maternal and Child Health programs if they are not the lead applicant. Evaluation criteria emphasize the need, response capacity, proposed impact, evaluation methods, organizational capabilities, and appropriate budget justification. HRSA hosted technical assistance webinars in April 2023 for both new and continuation applicants to provide guidance and address applicant questions. Successful applicants will be expected to participate in a national network supported by the PMHCA Innovation Center, engage in performance measurement and evaluation activities, and share best practices. For further assistance, applicants may contact project officers Madhavi M. Reddy (mreddy@hrsa.gov , 301-443-0754) or Jordanna Snyder (jsnyder1@hrsa.gov , 301-945-9482). Additional administrative contacts are available through HRSA's Division of Grants Management Operations.

Participate in technical assistance webinars and collaborate with the state’s Title V MCH Program. Read both the NOFO and HRSA guide carefully.