Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. HRSA Behavioral Health

HRSA Behavioral Health

What we do

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) conducts numerous different programs and initiatives which aim to address behavioral health in the United States. In addition, HRSA provides leadership and guidance on behavioral health issues within and outside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What guides our work

We recognize that sound behavioral health - including mental health and substance use services - is essential to overall health and that care must be accessible and equitable to improve health outcomes. We are working to address the unique behavioral health needs of those living in rural and medically underserved communities.

Interdepartmental efforts

Various coordinated efforts to address behavioral health needs occur across the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). HRSA is an integral part in these crosscutting efforts.

These include but are not limited to:

Focus areas

To improve the behavioral health and well-being of all Americans, including those living in vulnerable or medically underserved communities, HRSA programs focus on these areas and more:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health: HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) spearhead many of HRSA’s programming advancing behavioral health in children and adolescents.

Maternal Behavioral Health: HRSA provides several programs and initiatives to help address maternal behavioral health. Many of these programs are housed and operated within the Maternal and Children Health Bureau.

Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce: Strengthening the behavioral health workforce and connecting skilled health care providers to communities in need is vital to addressing the current and projected behavioral health needs of communities and populations. HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) is central to these efforts.

Suicide Prevention: Suicide prevention is a major focus across HHS. Many different HRSA programs and initiatives support suicide prevention efforts.

  • Promoting resilience and mental health among frontline health workforce
  • Improving access to maternal mental health care
  • Increasing universal screening for suicide risk
  • Supporting access to pediatric mental health care

Overdose Prevention: Multiple Bureaus and Offices throughout HRSA are working to address the opioids crisis.

Behavioral Health Integration: Efforts to integrate behavioral health occur throughout HRSA but mainly within the Bureau of Primary Health Care through their health centers programs and the Bureau of Health Workforce where behavioral health integration are incorporated into their workforce development goals and programming.

Contact us

If you have any questions or want to connect with us, please email Patsy Cunningham.

Date Last Reviewed: