Published on : May 14, 2020
In joint written testimony, CSWE and the National Association of Social Workers urged the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies for strong federal funding to support social workers and social work education in the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget.
“Our organizations strongly support efforts to boost critical funding at the Department of Health and Human Services for behavioral health initiatives, including the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Health Resources and Services Administration programs,” wrote CSWE President and CEO Darla Spence Coffey, MSW, PhD, and NASW CEO Angelo McClain, LICW, PhD.
CSWE and NASW specifically called for the following funding amounts, and you can read the details in the May 14 letter that was submitted to the subcommittee.
- $7,000 in FY 2021 for the maximum individual Pell Grant
- Support for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs
- $44.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health
- $790 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration Title VII
- $30 million for the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Workforce Training Demonstration Program
- $757.5 million for Community Mental Health Services Block Grant
- $2.3 billion for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant
- $38.5 billion in emergency funding to organizations that primarily treat individuals with behavior health concerns and/or Substance Use Disorders and use evidence-based practices, with a significant portion of these emergency funds set aside for organizations enrolled in Medicaid as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.