Dr. Colleen Cicchetti participated in a press conference with Senator Durbin last Friday, discussing a bill which includes provisions for trauma-informed care for children and families. A decision is expected to be made on the bill, Monday, September 17th.
The measures in the bill include:
Sec. 1513: Federal Task Force: Creates a multi-agency federal task force to recommend best practices for identifying, referring, and supporting children and families that have experienced trauma. The Task Force will raise awareness, establish a national strategy to address child trauma, and promote trauma-informed best practices across dozens of federal grant programs (home visiting, education, health care, criminal justice);
Sec. 1514: School Grants: Creates a demonstration grant program to integrate mental health services into schools, which will increase student access to trauma-informed care;
Sec. 1515: Community Grants: Increases funding authorization by $7M (up to $54M, the highest-ever funding level) for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which provides grants to improve trauma-informed care;
Sec. 1506: Data Collection: Authorizes funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data from states on exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, to understand the state-specific causes and impacts of trauma;
Sec. 1416: Clinician Workforce: Expands the National Health Services Corps loan repayment program to clinicians who serve in schools, the community, and in home visiting programs;
Sec. 1502: Graduate Education: Enhances masters-level graduate school education for behavioral health and social work professionals by providing funding for training in understanding ACEs and addressing trauma through HRSA’s Behavioral Health Workforce and Education Training program.