ERs could upgrade mental healthcare under new Capito bill

Bipartisan legislation proposed on June 22 by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) would improve the way patients receive care for mental illness in emergency departments across the United States.

“Over the past year, the demands on our emergency departments have been unprecedented, which is why it is essential that we now take steps to ensure all patients — especially those with mental healthcare needs — promptly receive the care they deserve,” Sen. Capito said. “This bill will allow emergency departments to customize innovative solutions that meet the unique needs of these patients.”

Sen. Capito sponsored the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2021, S. 2157, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), which would authorize a competitive grant program for emergency departments to implement innovative approaches to securing prompt access to appropriate follow-on care for individuals experiencing acute mental health episodes and presenting for care in emergency departments, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Capito’s office.

Such approaches could include expedited transition to post-emergency care through expanded coordination with regional service providers, assessment, peer navigators, bed availability tracking and management, transfer protocol development, networking infrastructure development, and transportation services, the summary says.

“We need to do more to improve mental healthcare in emergency rooms and ensure that patients can get the care they need, when they need it,” said Sen. Hassan. “This is a commonsense bill that would help give our hospitals and health care providers the tools and resources that they need to implement solutions that incorporate mental healthcare and take a 360 degree approach to patients’ needs.”

S. 2157 is companion legislation to the same-named H.R. 1205, introduced in May by U.S.  Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in their chamber.