SAMHSA Administrator Pam Hyde unveiled the Obama Administration’s FY15 budget request with respect to behavioral health. Under the Now is the Time initiative, which was launched in response to the Newtown tragedy, the budget request has continuation funding of $35 million for the HRSA administered Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program and $5 million to sustain the previous expansion of the Minority Fellowship Program. An additional $10 million is requested to support the development of peer professionals and another $1 million to collect and analyze workforce data in collaboration with HRSA. A separate request with implications for workforce development seeks $20 million to launch a Primary Care and Addiction Services Integration initiative modeled after the Primary/Behavioral Health Care Integration Program. The latter program has led to the development of numerous workforce resources.
According to Hyde, workforce development will be restored as one of six key priorities at SAMHSA that will guide strategic initiatives of the agency from 2015-2018.
The SAMHSA press release on the budget request can be found here.
The webinar by SAMHSA Administrator Pam Hyde describing the budget plan can be accessed here.