Sec. 201. National mental health policy laboratory

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The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders shall establish, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary, the National Mental Health Policy Laboratory (in this section referred to as the NMHPL ), to be headed by a Director. The Director of the NMHPL shall— identify, coordinate, and implement policy changes and other trends likely to have the most significant impact on mental health services and monitor their impact; collect information from grantees under programs established or amended by this Act and under other mental health programs under the Public Health Service Act, including grantees that are States receiving funds under a block grant under part B of title XIX of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300x et seq. ); evaluate and disseminate to such grantees evidence-based practices and services delivery models using the best available science shown to be cost-effective while enhancing the quality of care furnished to individuals; establish standards for the appointment of scientific peer-review panels to evaluate grant applications; and establish standards for grant programs under subsection (b).

In selecting evidence-based best practices and service delivery models for evaluation and dissemination under paragraph (2)(C), the Director of the NMHPL— shall give preference to models that improve— the coordination between mental health and physical health providers; the coordination among such providers and the justice and corrections system; and the cost effectiveness, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care services furnished to individuals with serious mental illness, in mental health crisis, or at risk to themselves, their families, and the general public; and may include clinical protocols and practices used in the Recovery After Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project and the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS) of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The Director of the NMHPL shall begin implementation of the duties described in this subsection not later than January 1, 2018. In carrying out the duties under this subsection, the Director of the NMHPL shall consult with— representatives of the National Institute of Mental Health on organization, hiring decisions, and operations, initially and on an ongoing basis; other appropriate Federal agencies; clinical and analytical experts with expertise in medicine, psychiatric and clinical psychological care, health care management, education, corrections health care, and mental health court systems; and other individuals and agencies as determined appropriate by the Assistant Secretary.

The Director of the NMHPL shall set standards for grant programs administered by the Assistant Secretary, and the Assistant Secretary shall comply with such standards, including standards for— the extent to which the grantee must have the capacity to implement the award; the extent to which the grant plan submitted by the grantee as part of its application must explain how the grantee will help to provide comprehensive community mental health or substance use services to adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances; the extent to which the grantee must identify priorities, as well as strategies and performance indicators to address those priorities for the duration of the grant; the extent to which the grantee must submit statements on the extent to which the grantee is meeting annual program priorities with quantifiable, objective, and scientific targets, measures, and outcomes; the extent to which grantees are expected to collaborate with other child-serving systems such as child welfare, education, juvenile justice, and primary care systems; the extent to which the grantee must collect and report data; the extent to which the grantee must use evidence-based practices and the extent to which those evidence-based practices must be used with respect to a population similar to the population for which the evidence-based practices were shown to be effective; and the extent to which a grantee, when possible, must have a control group.

The Director of the NMHPL— shall make the standards under paragraph (1), and the Director’s findings on compliance by the Assistant Secretary and grantees with such standards, available to the public in a timely fashion; and may establish requirements for States and other entities receiving funds through grants under programs established or amended by this Act and under other mental health programs under the Public Health Service Act, including under a block grant under part B of title XIX of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300x et seq. ), to collect information on evidence-based best practices and services delivery models selected under section 101(c)(2), as the Assistant Secretary determines necessary to monitor and evaluate such models.

In selecting the staff of the NMHPL, the Director of the NMHPL, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, shall ensure the following: At least 20 percent of the staff shall— have a doctoral degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine and clinical and research experience in psychiatry; have graduated from an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited psychiatric residency program; and have an understanding of biological, psychosocial, and pharmaceutical treatments of mental illness and substance use disorders.

At least 20 percent of the staff shall have a doctoral degree in psychology with— clinical and research experience regarding mental illness and substance use disorders; and an understanding of biological, psychosocial, and pharmaceutical treatments of mental illness and substance use disorders. At least 20 percent of the staff shall be professionals or academics with clinical or research expertise in substance use disorders and treatment. At least 20 percent of the staff shall be professionals or academics with expertise in research design and methodologies.

At least 20 percent, or two, whichever is greater, of the members of the staff of the NMHPL shall be appointed by Congress. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Director of the NMHPL shall submit to the Congress a report on the quality of care furnished through grant programs administered by the Assistant Secretary under the respective services delivery models, including measurement of patient-level outcomes and public health outcomes such as— reduced rates of suicide, suicide attempts, substance abuse, overdose, overdose deaths, emergency psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency room boarding, incarceration, crime, arrest, victimization, homelessness, and joblessness; rates of employment and enrollment in educational and vocational programs; and such other criteria as the Director may determine.

In this section, the term emergency room boarding means the practice of admitting patients to an emergency department and holding them in the department until inpatient psychiatric beds become available.

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42 USC 300x

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Sec. 201

National mental health policy laboratory

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