Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 21 122
The American Rescue Plan Act - Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) - New Area Expansion opportunity (HRSA-21-122) is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) cooperative agreement designed to expand access to pediatric mental health expertise by embedding behavioral health support into pediatric primary care through telehealth-enabled consultation networks. The program centers on the idea that many children and adolescents first present behavioral health concerns in primary care settings, but primary care teams often lack timely access to child psychiatry and other specialized behavioral health resources. By funding statewide or regional networks of pediatric mental health care teams, HRSA aims to strengthen the ability of pediatric primary care providers to identify, diagnose, treat, and appropriately refer children with behavioral health conditions, while also reducing delays in care.
A core requirement is building or expanding a structured state or regional network of pediatric mental health care teams that operate as an integrated support resource for pediatric primary care sites. These teams are expected to deliver rapid clinical consultation to front-line pediatric providers using telehealth and other telecommunications tools, including real-time video, telephone-based consults, store-and-forward approaches (such as sharing relevant clinical information or images securely for later review), and mobile health applications when appropriate. The telehealth concept in this program is provider-to-provider focused and is meant to support long-distance clinical consultation, professional education and training, and related health administration functions that make consultation and coordination practical across large geographies.
Funded programs are expected to offer a defined set of functions that collectively create a dependable access pathway for primary care clinicians seeking pediatric mental health guidance. This includes conducting an assessment to identify the most critical behavioral health consultation needs among pediatric providers in the target area and learning the preferred methods providers want to use for consultations, training, and technical assistance. Recipients must also develop an online database and communication mechanism to streamline how pediatric practices request and receive help, and to facilitate ongoing connections between primary care sites and pediatric mental health experts. A major operational expectation is the ability to provide rapid consultation when requested, typically via telephone or telehealth, so primary care teams can get real-time or near-real-time clinical input for evaluation, medication questions, crisis considerations, and next-step planning.
Beyond consultation, the opportunity emphasizes workforce and practice capacity building. Recipients must conduct training and provide technical assistance to pediatric primary care providers to strengthen early identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral processes for pediatric behavioral health conditions. Programs are also expected to help primary care practices navigate and access specialty behavioral health providers, including child and adolescent psychiatrists, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, and licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors. Practical support like helping with scheduling, understanding referral options, and making effective connections to community-based behavioral health resources is part of the model. Recipients should also support referrals to specialty care and community services and implement care coordination approaches that make it easier for children and families to reach the right level of care.
Health equity is a central focus of the New Area Expansion effort. HRSA signals that successful recipients should directly address racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in access to pediatric mental health services, with particular attention to rural, frontier, hard-to-reach, and other underserved communities. In practice, that means program design and outreach should be built to reach providers and patients who typically face the greatest access barriers, whether due to distance, limited specialty workforce availability, or systemic inequities. The broader aim aligns with HRSA strategic priorities: improving access to quality services, strengthening a workforce equipped for current and emerging needs, advancing health equity, and improving population health outcomes.
Measurement and accountability are also built into the program. Recipients must establish mechanisms to measure and monitor whether access to pediatric mental health care services is increasing for primary care providers and whether primary care capacity is expanding over time. This includes tracking how effectively the network is being used, whether providers are gaining skills and confidence to manage behavioral health concerns, and whether referral pathways and consultation processes are working as intended. The emphasis is not just on providing one-off advice, but on creating sustained system-level improvements in how pediatric behavioral health needs are handled in primary care.
In terms of who the program serves, the primary audience is pediatric primary care providers and their teams, including pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and care coordinators. HRSA also encourages grantees to broaden impact by engaging additional provider types who often encounter pediatric behavioral health needs, such as developmental-behavioral pediatricians and other physician specialists (for example, obstetrician-gynecologists, endocrinologists, and gastroenterologists), as well as behavioral health clinicians and social workers. This reflects a recognition that children and adolescents touch multiple parts of the health system, and building consistent behavioral health integration benefits from reaching beyond traditional pediatric primary care alone.
Administratively, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement funded under CFDA 93.110 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through HRSA. The notice lists an award ceiling of $445,000 and anticipated 32 awards. The funding opportunity was originally posted May 19, 2021, with an original closing date of July 6, 2021, and eligibility is described broadly as "Others" with additional details referenced in the full eligibility section of the notice. Overall, the opportunity funds practical, telehealth-enabled consultation and training networks that help primary care teams respond faster and more effectively to pediatric mental health needs, while intentionally pushing services and capacity into communities that have historically had the least access.Apply for HRSA 21 122
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "American Rescue Plan Act - Pediatric Mental Health Care Access – New Area Expansion" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.110.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 19, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 06, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $445,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 32 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): American Rescue Plan Act - Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) - New Area Expansion (HRSA-21-122)
What is the HRSA-21-122 PMHCA New Area Expansion opportunity?
HRSA-21-122 is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) discretionary cooperative agreement that funds expansion of pediatric mental health care access by building or expanding statewide or regional telehealth-enabled consultation networks. These networks connect pediatric primary care providers with pediatric mental health expertise to improve identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referrals for children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions.
What problem is this program designed to address?
The program is designed around a common real-world challenge: many children and adolescents first bring behavioral health concerns to pediatric primary care, but primary care teams often do not have timely access to child psychiatry and other specialized behavioral health supports. The program aims to reduce delays in care by making expert consultation and practical referral support more accessible to primary care teams.
What is the overall goal of the PMHCA New Area Expansion effort?
The overall goal is to expand access to pediatric mental health expertise for pediatric primary care teams by embedding behavioral health support into primary care workflows through consultation, training, technical assistance, and care coordination delivered via telehealth-enabled networks.
What is the required model or core approach funded by this opportunity?
A core requirement is to build or expand a structured state or regional network of pediatric mental health care teams that acts as an integrated support resource for pediatric primary care sites. The network is expected to deliver rapid clinical consultation and other supports using telehealth and related telecommunications tools.
Who is the primary audience served by the program?
The primary audience is pediatric primary care providers and their teams, including pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and care coordinators.
Does the opportunity encourage serving or engaging other provider types beyond pediatric primary care?
Yes. HRSA encourages grantees to broaden impact by engaging additional provider types who often encounter pediatric behavioral health needs, including developmental-behavioral pediatricians and other physician specialists (for example, obstetrician-gynecologists, endocrinologists, and gastroenterologists), as well as behavioral health clinicians and social workers.
What is meant by "telehealth" in this program?
Telehealth in this program is provider-to-provider focused. It supports long-distance clinical consultation, professional education and training, and related health administration functions that enable consultation and coordination across large geographies.
What consultation methods are expected to be used?
The network is expected to use telehealth and other telecommunications tools such as real-time video, telephone-based consultations, store-and-forward approaches (secure sharing of relevant clinical information or images for later review), and mobile health applications when appropriate.
Is the program focused on direct patient telehealth visits?
The described telehealth concept in this program is provider-to-provider, intended to support consultation and coordination for pediatric primary care clinicians. The emphasis is on helping front-line pediatric providers obtain expert input rapidly rather than replacing local care with specialist visits.
What kinds of clinical support are networks expected to provide to primary care teams?
Networks are expected to provide rapid consultation (often by telephone or telehealth) so primary care teams can access real-time or near-real-time clinical input. The consultation support is described as applicable to evaluation questions, medication questions, crisis considerations, and next-step planning, along with guidance on appropriate referrals.
What does "rapid consultation" mean in practice for this opportunity?
The opportunity describes an operational expectation that networks can provide rapid consultation when requested, typically by telephone or telehealth, to help primary care teams make timely clinical decisions and plan next steps without long delays.
What planning or assessment activities are expected before delivering services?
Recipients are expected to conduct an assessment to identify the most critical behavioral health consultation needs among pediatric providers in the target area and to learn providers' preferred methods for consultations, training, and technical assistance.
What infrastructure or tools must be developed to support the network?
Recipients must develop an online database and a communication mechanism to streamline how pediatric practices request and receive support and to facilitate ongoing connections between primary care sites and pediatric mental health experts.
What types of training and technical assistance are required?
Recipients must conduct training and provide technical assistance to pediatric primary care providers to strengthen early identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral processes for pediatric behavioral health conditions.
How does the program help primary care practices connect to specialty behavioral health care?
The program expects recipients to help primary care practices navigate and access specialty behavioral health providers, including child and adolescent psychiatrists, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, and licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors. This includes practical supports like helping with scheduling, understanding referral options, and making effective connections to community-based resources.
What role does care coordination play in the PMHCA New Area Expansion model?
Care coordination is a central operational expectation. Recipients should support referrals to specialty care and community services and implement care coordination approaches that make it easier for children and families to reach the appropriate level of care.
What is the health equity focus of this New Area Expansion opportunity?
Health equity is described as a central focus. HRSA signals that successful recipients should directly address racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in access to pediatric mental health services, with particular attention to rural, frontier, hard-to-reach, and other underserved communities.
How should programs address rural, frontier, or hard-to-reach communities?
The opportunity indicates that program design and outreach should be built to reach providers and patients facing the greatest access barriers, including distance, limited specialty workforce availability, and systemic inequities. Telehealth-enabled consultation networks are presented as a key strategy to make expert support reachable across large geographies.
What outcomes or results does HRSA expect recipients to track?
Recipients must establish mechanisms to measure and monitor whether access to pediatric mental health care services is increasing for primary care providers and whether primary care capacity is expanding over time. The opportunity emphasizes tracking network use, provider skill and confidence gains, and whether referral pathways and consultation processes are functioning as intended.
Is this intended to be a one-time consultation service, or a longer-term system improvement effort?
The opportunity emphasizes sustained system-level improvements. The goal is not just one-off advice, but building dependable access pathways, stronger primary care capacity, and better-functioning consultation and referral processes over time.
What federal program and agency are associated with this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through HRSA. It is a discretionary cooperative agreement funded under CFDA 93.110.
What is the award ceiling listed in the notice?
The notice lists an award ceiling of $445,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
The notice anticipates 32 awards.
When was the funding opportunity posted, and what was the original closing date?
The notice indicates the opportunity was originally posted on May 19, 2021, with an original closing date of July 6, 2021.
Who is eligible to apply, based on the information provided?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional details referenced in the full eligibility section of the notice.
What geographic scope is expected for funded networks?
The opportunity describes building or expanding structured networks at a statewide or regional level, designed to support pediatric primary care sites across potentially large geographies.
What types of pediatric mental health expertise are intended to be part of the network?
The opportunity highlights access to child and adolescent psychiatrists, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, and licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors as key types of specialty expertise that programs should help primary care teams connect with.
What HRSA strategic priorities does this opportunity align with?
The opportunity aligns with HRSA strategic priorities described as improving access to quality services, strengthening a workforce equipped for current and emerging needs, advancing health equity, and improving population health outcomes.
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