SAMHSA Releases New Strategic Priorities

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released its new strategic priorities to achieve its mission of leading efforts in treating mental illness, preventing substance abuse, and fostering recovery while ensuring access to better health outcomes.

Key areas of focus include:

  • Preventing substance misuse and addiction.
  • Addressing serious mental illness.
  • Expanding crisis intervention services.
  • Improving access to evidence-based treatments.
  • Supporting long-term recovery and sobriety.
  • Identifying emerging behavioral health threats.

SAMHSA will also emphasize early prevention of substance use, strengthening partnerships between crisis care systems and law enforcement for effective public safety responses, improving treatment access, and utilizing timely, localized data for informed policies.

Per the National Council’s review of the strategic plan, SAMHAS’ work will be organized into five operational areas: advancing data and research, building capacity across federal and local systems, strengthening partnerships, driving education and communication and piloting innovative solutions. SAMHSA also outlines key outcomes to track its impact, including decreased rates of homelessness among people with serious mental illness and substance use disorder.

Notably, SAMHSA specifically cited several policies it will no longer follow, including “unsupported clinical interventions,” “harm reduction” policies and “an unlawful focus on specific populations.” The document also deprioritizes support for gender-transition interventions for minors, defines sex in biological terms and limits funding for programs it says were advancing diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks.

The strategy outlined in SAMHSA’s document may impact funding, particularly where different approaches were taken previously in federal programs. National Council will continue communicating with the Administration, including SAMHSA, to gain additional information, highlight impactful work across our country, and demonstrate the need for robust investment in community mental health and substance use services for our nation.

As federal grant requirements change and guidance from federal agencies continues to shift, we recently provided members with analyses of a memorandum from the Department of Justice on diversity, equity and inclusion practices (“Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination”) and an Aug. 7 executive order on grantmaking (“Improving Oversight of Grantmaking”). These analysis documents are not intended to serve as and do not constitute legal advice but rather are intended to provide members with guidance on best practices in light of these initiatives.

The Ohio Council working in collaboration with our National Council partners, who will continue to engage SAMHSA and key administration officials to ensure community-based behavioral health services are prioritized as solutions to the administration’s health care policy priorities.