HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson joined Secretary Xavier Becerra and other senior Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leaders at theHHS Mental Health Summit: Strengthening Mental Healthon May 4 to discuss ways to strengthen the health care workforce and bring mental health services to people across the country. The summit was part of HHS' observances during Mental Health Awareness Month.

During the event,Administrator Johnson participated in a fireside chat facilitated by HHS Deputy Chief of Staff Angela Ramirezabout the need for greater access to mental health services, as well as current HRSA efforts to integrate mental health services within primary care.

PAS honored HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau Associate Administrator Dr. Michael Warren with the William Silverman Award during the PAS Annual Meeting held April 27 May 1 in Washington, DC. The award is an honorary lectureship that recognizes an individuals contributions to improving maternal and child health across the country. As part of his lecture, Dr. Warren described the concrete ways pediatricians have improved health care for children and challenged the audience to eliminate disparities in infant mortality by 2030.

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson met staff and patients at Cahaba Medical Care in Centreville, Alabama, on May 19 to announce$67 million in new HRSA funding for health centers to improve maternal health servicesin underserved communities nationwide. Awardees will use funds to implement innovative approaches to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities for patients at highest risk. For example, Cahaba Health Care will use their award to integrate behavioral health in maternal health care services for women in rural Alabama.

On May 11, staff from the HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) were recognized at the Partnership for Public Service as2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals Finalistsfor their critical, lifesaving work to address the opioid crisis in rural communities. HRSA Administrator Johnson and Associate Administrator Tom Morris joined the event to celebrate HRSAs honorees: FORHP Rural Strategic Initiatives Division Director, Megan Meacham; Deputy Director, Allison Hutchings; and Team Lead, Sarah ODonnell.

HRSA celebrated thefirst anniversary of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline on May 14. Since its launch on Mothers Day 2022, the hotlines professional counselors have provided emotional support, resources, and referrals to almost 12,000 pregnant and postpartum individuals who struggled with mental health concerns, and their loved ones.

Check out some of the news coverage:

NBC News:National Maternal Mental Health Hotline received over 12,000 calls and texts in its first year

Good Morning America:Commemorating National Maternal Mental Health Month with new hotline

PBS:What the U.S. is doing to address its deepening maternal mortality crisis

HRSA awardedmore than $147 million to 49 recipients to advance the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. The initiative aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States by at least 90 percent by 2030. This funding will help states and metropolitan areas with the highest levels of HIV transmission link people with HIV to essential care, support, and treatment, as well as support training and other resources for these jurisdictions.

FORHP senior leaders visited Hill Hospital of Sumter County in York, Alabama, on May 1 to learn about initiatives to increase access to quality health care for rural Alabama communities. Hill Hospital participates in HRSAs Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program, which provides technical assistance to rural hospitals and clinics in the eight states of the Mississippi Delta Region. Working closely with the Delta Regional Authority, this program helps rural Delta communities to strengthen their health care delivery system through direct support of financial and operational efficiency and quality improvement.

HRSAs Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs convened a behavioral health workforce summit in Newton, Massachusetts, with HRSA grantee William James College. HRSA Deputy Regional Administrator CAPT Chris Bersani and William James College President Nicholas Covino provided opening remarks and several HRSA grantees and behavioral health experts presented during the event, alongside Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kate Walsh, and Secretary Lauren Jones from Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The summit also featured a panel where William James College students shared firsthand perspectives about how HRSA loan and scholarship programs have enabled them to receive the education and professional development needed to enter the behavioral health workforce.

HRSA IEA hosted a grants workshop in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to bring together organizations from across rural western Nebraska to learn about HRSA programs, resources, funding opportunities, and the federal grant application process. HRSA IEA hosts Grants 101 workshops across the country to reach new populations and promote HRSA funding opportunities, especially in rural and underserved communities.

HRSA Regional Administrator Sharon Turner presented at the 2023 Northwest Regional Primary Care Association Spring Summit and discussed HHS efforts to prepare for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency along with HRSA's efforts to address health equity and behavioral health. HRSA Deputy Regional Administrator Aphrodyi Antoine also facilitated two sessions on federal and state behavioral health resources and youth mental health and leadership from HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care and Bureau of Health Workforce served as plenary speakers during the event.