The Senate is expected to introduce their bill to reauthorize SAMHSA on December 5, 2007 and then to mark-up the bill the next week. The Senate drafted a bipartisan bill with the hope that the House will accept it as is sometime in the 2nd Session of the 110th Congress next year. A priority for us is workforce development. There are no provisions on workforce development in the current statute even though the agency was originally mandated with both mental health service delivery and training. There are documented shortages in underserved areas, inadequate training, lack of diversity and pipeline issues as documented by the Annapolis Coalition Report (2007), two Institute of Medicine Reports (2006, 2001) and the findings of President’s (Bush) New Freedom Commission (2002) and the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health under President Clinton (1999).

Education GRO staff have taken the lead for the field in the area of workforce development. There has been strong opposition to any training provisions but it appears that despite the challenges, funding of “internships and fellowships” will be included in the legislation as well as a mandate on recruiting and retaining a behavioral health workforce. It also appears that our recommendation to expand workforce data collection and analysis to also include providers was successful. Unfortunately a specific authority for the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) was not successful. We are hopeful there will be one or two more opportunities to impact on the pending legislation and have this important recommendation accepted. The MFP awards grants on a competitive basis through eligible non-profit organizations (including the APA) to eligible students who provide services to underserved racial and ethnic minority communities and are enrolled or accepted to be enrolled in a graduate education and training program, internship, residency or fellowship in one of the eligible health professions.

The biggest challenge with the greatest amount of opposition has been the establishment of training programs. It appears that after very hard negotiations Education GRO staff won the inclusion of a training program for interns and residents: our recommendation (3) establishing a competitive institutional grant program for eligible entities (a graduate education and training program, internship, residency or fellowship in one of the eligible health professions) for planning, developing, and operating a mental health professional training program that includes student stipends; however, our recommendation (4) establishing a Loan Repayment Program for licensed or certified mental health professionals with priority given to those working with high priority populations and who demonstrate financial need, competence in evidence based practice, cultural competence in practice and will be working in facilities that served underserved persons was not accepted.

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