Building Capacity for Care Act

The Building Capacity for Care Act (HR 2223) provides loans, loan guarantees, and grants to help hospitals and mental health/substance use disorder treatment facilities build or improve services. It specifically targets facilities that will increase psychiatric or substance use disorder bed capacity in areas with insufficient services, high overdose death rates, or high suicide rates. Eligible entities must cover at least 25% of project costs from non-federal sources. The bill authorizes up to $200 million annually from fiscal years 2025-2029 for these programs, with grants prioritized for facilities in mental health shortage areas or communities with high rates of overdose deaths or suicides. A new trust fund will be established to support community mental health services using revenues from these programs.