The EARLY Minds Act modifies federal mental health funding rules to allow states to use up to 5 percent of their annual Community Mental Health Services block grant funding for prevention and early intervention programs aimed at children, adolescents, and adults—even before they develop serious mental illness. The bill requires states to include descriptions of these evidence-based prevention and early intervention strategies in their mental health plans submitted to the federal government. To track progress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must report to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment, and then every two years thereafter, detailing which states participate, what activities they fund, who benefits, and what outcomes result in terms of reduced delays in accessing mental health care and lessened severity of mental illness. This legislation affects state health agencies and mental health providers serving communities across the country, while the funding mechanism uses existing block grant dollars rather than creating new appropriations.
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