Biden to Unveil Mental Health Initiative Alongside Newtown Families - East Idaho News
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Biden to Unveil Mental Health Initiative Alongside Newtown Families

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Getty 092812 JoeBiden?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1386673893359Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday will announce a $100-million initiative that will help “increase access to mental health services and improve mental health facilities,” according to a White House official.

The initiative will be evenly co-funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).   
The HHS money will go toward assisting “Community Health Centers establish or expand behavioral health services for people living with mental illness or addiction,” the official says.

The remaining $50 million will be put up by the USDA to provide funding “for the construction, expansion, or improvement of mental health facilities in rural areas over the next three years.”

Biden will unveil the details at the White House during a meeting with victims’ families of last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.  Mental health advocates will also be in attendance.

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