The Positive Aging Act
Background
On May 22, 2003, Representative
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) re-introduced
the "Positive Aging Act," H.R.
2241, which would improve the
accessibility and quality of mental health services for the elderly.
AAGP collaborated with Representative
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and
his staff on the drafting and introduction of legislation of the
original version of this legislation in 2002.
A companion bill, S. 1456,
was introduced by Senator John Breaux (D-LA) on July 25, 2003.
The "Positive Aging Act" would provide mental health
screenings, appropriate referrals for follow-up care and consultations,
and the use of available evidence-based protocols for common mental
health disorders. In addition, grants for community-based mental
health treatment outreach teams would be available to provide services
in primary health care facilities where older adults receive medical
treatments, as well as adult day care centers, senior centers, assisted
living facilities and other settings where older adults reside or
receive social services.
The "Positive Aging Act" provides new authorities and
resources to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency
is responsible for improving the accessibility of high quality care
for people with mental disorders primarily through block grants
to the states and other grants to develop and apply best practices
to the identification and treatment of mental disorders at the community
level. The "Positive Aging Act" strengthens these activities
and targets efforts on sites where primary care is provided and
locations where older adults reside or receive other social services.
The “Positive Aging Act” contains the following provisions:
- Authorizes SAMHSA to conduct services implementation
projects that integrate mental
health screening and treatment services at primary care sites serving
a geriatric patient population. These
sites would commit to an interdisciplinary
team including mental health professionals and would adopt evidence-based
treatment protocols
developed for elderly patients;
- Authorizes a new SAMHSA grant program to support geriatric
mental health outreach teams
in settings where seniors live or receive social services to foster
collaboration between these providers
and senior centers, adult day
care programs, assisted living facilities, and the like, and to
increase access to mental health services
in a wide variety of community
settings;
- Establishes a new deputy director for geriatric mental
health services within the
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at SAMHSA to develop and
implement initiatives to address the mental
health service needs of older
adults;
- Creates positions on the advisory council for CMHS for
representatives of older adults,
their families, and geriatric mental health specialists;
- Amends the scope of projects under SAMHSA’s authority
that address priority needs for substance abuse treatment to include
treatment for geriatric patients with alcohol or substance abuse;
and
- Requires states that receive funding under the CMHS Block
Grant program to include goals
and initiatives for improving access to community-based mental
health services for geriatric patients.
AAGP Position
AAGP strongly supports this legislation
and will work to achieve its passage, possibly in conjunction with
the reauthorization of SAMHSA itself, which could be considered
by the Congress this year.
March 2004
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