Reps Salinas, Harshbarger Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth Services for Rural Americans

Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act, legislation that would expand access to remote mental health and substance use services in rural America, especially for individuals working in the farming, fishing, and forestry industries. US Senators Mike Rounds (R-UT) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are leading a companion bill in the Senate. The Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Rural Health Liaison of the Department of Agriculture, to award grants to entities to establish mental health and substance use services for rural Americans in their homes, particularly those working in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations. It would also authorize up to $10 million for each fiscal year through 2027 using current funds. The legislation is endorsed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), NAMI Oregon, National Rural Health Association, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, Oregon Council for Behavioral Health, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, and Friends of Family Farmers.