Sponsors (6)
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to support models for providing stabilization services to individuals with serious thoughts of suicide, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Jamie Ben Raskin · Last progress March 26, 2026
The bill expands access to evidence-informed suicide stabilization services and builds provider capacity, but funding is limited and time-limited—creating a risk that many programs (especially smaller providers and underserved areas) won't be sustained long-term.
People with serious suicidal thoughts — including students, rural and tribal residents, and others with mental-health/substance-use needs — gain funded access to evidence-informed stabilization services (in-person, outpatient, virtual, and peer-supported).
Grantees (including schools, campuses, and community providers) receive training, technical assistance, and evaluated best practices to improve quality and spread effective suicide stabilization interventions.
The program’s funding level ($30 million per year) is likely too small to meet nationwide need, limiting how many people and communities can be served.
Grant funding is time-limited (up to 5 years, nonrenewable), so services funded by the program may end if recipients cannot secure long-term financing.
Requiring a continuity financing plan to receive grants may disadvantage smaller community providers and nonprofits that lack billing, fundraising, or grant-writing capacity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes competitive HHS grants to fund suicide-specific stabilization services and related evaluation/training, $30M/year for FY2027–2031.
Creates a new HHS grant program to fund and expand short-term, suicide-specific stabilization services for people with serious suicidal thoughts. The grants support in-person, outpatient, virtual, and peer-delivered stabilization care, require a continuity plan for post-grant financing, and fund evaluation, training, and technical assistance. Authorizes $30 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 and defines eligible providers broadly to include community health centers, behavioral health providers, school and campus health centers, crisis centers, tribal organizations, and state public health and mental health agencies.