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WASHINGTON -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a Behavioral Health Coordinating Council to address the mental health and substance use disorders that have increased during the pandemic, Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, MD, said Tuesday.
The council's primary goal "is to facilitate collaborative, innovative, transparent, equitable, action-oriented approaches to addressing the nation's behavioral health needs," Levine said on a Zoom call with reporters. "This council will be comprised of senior leadership from across HHS operating and staff divisions ... Establishing a new behavioral health Coordinating Council will assure that right and correct prioritization guidelines are in place to provide pathways to prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services." Levine will co-chair the council along with Tom Coderre, Acting Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.