Senators Seek Continued Support for Pediatric Telehealth, DLT Programs

A group of Senators is calling for “robust and sustained funding” for two federal programs that increase access to pediatric telehealth services. And a second group is seeking continued support for the US Department of Agriculture’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program.

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is leading both efforts, and targeting the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittees in charge of funding those programs.

In the first, Rosen and 12 colleagues have signed a letter calling for continued support of the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) program, a federal program targeting telemental health expansion, and the Emergency Medical Services for Children program, which helps to enhance health system emergency department with access to pediatric specialists, sometimes through virtual care. Both are overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“In the last year we have seen a mental health crisis unfold among our children and youth, including youth suicide,” the letter states, noting recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics that one in six children are diagnosed with a mental health disorder but only 20 percent are receiving the right care. “We must provide greater access to mental health treatment, and bolster the support for pediatrician offices that are often on the frontline for initial interventions and mental health services.”

“We know there is a significant shortage of children's mental health providers, particularly in rural and underserved areas,” the letter continues. “This is where technology can play a role in bringing care to areas that need it most. The Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program provides grants to integrate mental health services into pediatric primary care settings through telehealth. So far, grants have been awarded to 21 states across the country. Robust funding is critical to ensuring additional access points.”

Earlier this year, The Health and Human Services Department earmarked more than $14 million from the American Rescue Plan for PMHCA projects.

Through PMHCA programs, states or health systems create pediatric mental healthcare teams than can include child and adolescent psychiatrists, licensed mental health professionals and care coordinators. Those teams are then made available to connect with pediatric primary care providers – including pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants – on a telemedicine platform.

The letter is addressed to Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.

Along with Rosen, the letter is signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Robert Casey Jr. (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

The second letter, signed by 14 colleagues and addressed to Senators Tammy Baldwin, (D-WI) and John Hoeven (R-ND), chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, takes aim at a program that has been funding telemedicine programs across the country since 1994.

The USDA’s DLT program “specifically helps rural communities invest in telecommunications-enabled information, audio and visual equipment, and advanced technologies to assist its residents in accessing educational and health care services,” the letter states. “Recipients have used the program to provide distance learning paramedic courses to first responders, improve access to specialty health education, and establish partnerships between rural high schools and community colleges. Recent DLT recipients have used the grants to help address opioid abuse treatment and mental health counseling in rural America.”

This past February, almost half of the 86 programs in 34 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa receiving $42.3 million in DLT grants were for telehealth programs.

Aside from Rosen, Senators signing onto that letter were Hassan, Gillibrand, Feinstein, Cortez Masto, Van Hollen, Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).