Advocacy Timeline for the National Health Service Corps/Community Health Center Initiative — 1994-2009

Meeting with National Health Service Corps (NHSC) officials in the Office of Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) to discuss reviving dormant Mental Health professions category and include psychologists for the 1st time

Revised regulations for the NHSC that include mental health professionals

Appropriations Report Language on promoting mental health professionals in the NHSC

First seven slots to psychologists in NHSC Loan Repayment Program

Appropriations Report Language to boost NHSC attention on mental & behavioral health professions

NHSC adds “behavioral” to the mental health professionals category

NHSC official assigned to behavioral & mental health

NHSC develops technical assistance materials on behavioral & mental health professionals for HPSA sites

Appropriations Report Language on mental & behavioral health professionals in the NHSC

NHSC dedicates $60,000 to jump-start Behavioral & Mental Health Pilot Project in six states

APA participates in 25th NHSC Conference

Appropriations Report Language on mental & behavioral health professionals in the NHSC

$1 million for NHSC for Mental & Behavioral Health Summits in three regions for integrating mental & behavioral health into health care for underserved populations

Three NHSC-SAMHSA (Substance Abuse/Mental Health Services Administration) Behavioral & Mental Health Summits involving 29 states are held

APA lead organization in the NHSC Coalition on the NHSC reauthorization

APA writes new NHSC-Mental Health brochure

APA member & Director of a Community Health Center (CHC) testifies at Senate Hearing on Safety Net Programs on NHSC

Provisions for behavioral & mental health professionals in the draft Senate bill

Safety Net Legislation passed with APA recommendations on mental & behavioral health for the NHSC and CHC

Appropriations Report Language for increasing the number of psychologists in the NHSC

APA participates in HRSA effort to revise Mental Health Professional Shortage Area designation (patient to provider ratio for Mental Health is 30,000 to 1)

APA participates in meeting with National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) officials re: contributions of psychologists and psychology interns to health care for underserved

APA continues outreach to NACHC and APA members present at their annual conference

Meeting with Associate Administrator for the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and Director of the National Health Service Corps re: inclusion of psychologists and psychology trainees in the Federally Qualified Community Health Center programs and the National Health Service Corps programs

HRSA officials offered assistance in reaching out the state Primary Care Associations to increase the number of psychologists in the rural and urban community health centers

Joint effort with the Practice Directorate’s Rural Health Task Force to increase the number of psychologists/psychology interns in the $2 billion FQHC program by reaching out to state-based Primary Care Associations (PCAs) beginning with CA & NM

Continuation of negotiations with the NHSC to accept doctoral level school psychologists (National Assembly on School-based Health Care survey, funded by the BPHC, found that approximately 1,700 school health clinics are designated HPSAs and that 65% of them provide mental health services)

Revision of the MHPSA designation that targets federal funds to areas with high mental health care needs

Meeting with CA PCA re: placement of psychologists/trainees at CHCs

Joint meeting with Committee on Rural Health re: the role of psychologists and trainees in FQHCs, with representatives from the US Bureau of Primary Health Care  and the National Association of Community Health Centers attending

PCA initiative with outreach to New Mexico, Maine & Arkansas PCAs

Continuation of outreach to NHSC & CHC officials re: gaining school psychologists participation in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program and other obstacles to participation

Report Language re: psychologists participation in NHSC scholarship program