Mental Health First Act of 2013
Official title: To amend section 520J of the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for mental health first aid training programs.
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Mental Health First Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to award grants to initiate and sustain mental health first aid training programs. Requires such a program to include: (1) core live training courses on the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services; (2) training on mental health resources, including the location of community mental health centers in the state and local community; and (3) training on action plans and protocols for referral to such resources.
Sets forth the categories of individuals to be trained under the program, including emergency services personnel and other first responders, police officers and law enforcement personnel, teachers and school administrators, human resources professionals, faith community leaders, nurses and other primary care personnel, students enrolled in school, parents of students, veterans, and other individuals, audiences or training populations as appropriate.
Requires such programs to train individuals to accomplish: (1) safe de-escalation of crisis situations, (2) recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and (3) timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders.
Requires the Secretary, in awarding grants, to: (1) ensure that grants are equitably distributed among the geographical regions of the United States, and (2) pay particular attention to the mental health training needs of populations and target audiences residing in rural areas.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 274: Mental Health First Act of 2013. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-274/
"H.R. 274: Mental Health First Act of 2013." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-274/.
H.R. 274, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-274/.
[H.R. 274: Mental Health First Act of 2013](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-274/)