Community Mental Wellness Worker Training Act

S. 5365, the Community Mental Wellness Worker Training Act, amends Title V of the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a grant program. Administered through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the program allows HHS to grant funds to eligible organizations to establish programs that train, supervise, and certify community mental wellness workers.

* **Federal Agencies:** The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. * **Eligible Organizations:** Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Community Mental Health Centers, and tax-exempt or tax-funded entities (the summary text cuts off at "Tax-", so the full list of eligible tax-related entities is incomplete in the available text). * **Workers and Supervisors:** Community mental wellness workers and supervisors who receive training, certification, and clinical supervision. * **Members of the Public:** Individuals who receive mental health and substance use screenings, basic counseling, suicide risk reduction, and safety planning services.

* **Grant Authorization:** HHS is authorized (permitted) to award grants to eligible entities. * **Mandatory Spending Uses:** Organizations that receive grants **must** use the money to run community mental wellness worker training programs. * **Permitted Spending Uses:** Within those training programs, grantees **may** use funds for: * Training, certifying, and providing ongoing clinical supervision for workers and their supervisors. * Teaching workers to screen patients for mental health and substance use conditions. * Training workers to deliver basic, evidence-informed, and culturally competent counseling or interventions (including safety planning and suicide risk reduction). * Purchasing and operating digital platforms used for screening, training, supervision, monitoring, and treatment delivery. * Delivering counseling and interviewing services directly.

* The bill authorizes HHS to distribute grant money to eligible organizations. * Specific dollar amounts, funding caps, taxes, or fees are not specified in the provided summary.

* The bill *authorizes* HHS to award grants, but it does not mandate specific spending amounts or guarantee funding levels in the provided summary. * The complete list of eligible entities is unclear because the provided text cuts off abruptly after "Tax-". * No specific deadlines, penalties, or statutory exceptions are detailed in the provided summary.

This bill allows HHS to create a federal grant program that funds behavioral health clinics and mental health centers to train, supervise, and certify community mental wellness workers, enabling them to provide basic mental health screenings and counseling services.