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Tell Congress: Stand up for SAMHSA
On March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to reorganize the agency and make major staff and structural changes that would impact our national efforts to address America’s mental health, suicide, and substance use crises.
NAMI is deeply concerned by the proposed plans that would change the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as we know it and reduce our nation’s capacity to improve care for people with mental illness.
SAMHSA is the primary agency responsible for supporting efforts — like those in New Hampshire — that provide mental health and substance use treatment services, including education and training for the behavioral health workforce, prevention and early intervention programs, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Drastic changes to SAMHSA's structure and staffing threaten to disrupt the availability of these lifesaving resources.
On March 24, HHS also sent a letter to state behavioral health agencies that all COVID supplemental funds awarded by SAMHSA as a result of several pandemic-era legislation, like the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (2020) and the American Rescue Plan Act (2021), were terminated effective that same evening. These grant funds originally expired September 30, 2025. We are hearing that as much as $1.3 billion in SAMHSA supplemental funds through the MH and SUD block grants is being cut — money already obligated.
Write your members of Congress TODAY to urge them to stop these changes and cuts to SAMHSA and save our bipartisan progress to help people affected by mental health conditions!
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