House Bill 597 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Patrice “Penni” McClammyRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Creates the Rural Behavioral and Mental Health Access program to expand access to mental health and substance use treatment in rural areas.

Summary

HB597 creates the Rural Behavioral and Mental Health Access Act to expand mental health and substance use treatment in rural Alabama through grants, telehealth, primary-care integration, and workforce incentives.

What This Bill Does

The bill establishes the Rural Behavioral Health and Mental Health Access Fund to provide grants and scholarships for expanding rural mental health and substance use treatment. It funds construction, renovation, or expansion of rural facilities and supports staffing, startup costs, telehealth equipment, and broadband for rural providers, prioritizing high-need, low-access areas. It also supports primary care practices that integrate behavioral health services by funding staff, collaborative care models, and care coordination, and offers scholarships and loan repayment to students and providers who commit to rural practice. The Department of Mental Health would administer the programs and rules would be adopted to implement the act, with an effective date of October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Rural Alabama residents in areas not within incorporated cities or towns with populations over 25,000, who would gain improved access to mental health and substance use treatment.
• Nonprofits, community health centers, counties, and tribal entities that can apply for grants to build, expand, or start rural mental health and substance use facilities or services.
• Licensed behavioral health providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, addiction specialists, psychiatric nurse practitioners) who may receive scholarships or loan repayment to work in rural areas.
• Primary care practices that receive funding to integrate behavioral health services (hiring or co-locating professionals, collaborative care models, care coordination).
• Students entering behavioral health fields and current providers who may receive scholarships or loan repayment to serve in rural communities.]
• key_provisions(['Creates the Rural Behavioral Health and Mental Health Access Fund in the State Treasury to provide grants, scholarships, and technical assistance for programs under this act.','Establishes a competitive grant program to support construction, renovation, or expansion of rural mental health and substance use treatment facilities and to fund staffing and startup costs; eligible applicants include nonprofits, community health centers, counties, and tribal entities.','Provides grants to rural providers for telehealth equipment, broadband installation/maintenance, and staff training; priority to high-need, low-access rural populations.','Funds primary care practices to integrate behavioral health services by supporting hiring or co-location of mental health professionals, collaborative care models, and care coordination protocols, with technical assistance from the department.','Offers financial incentives to build the rural mental health workforce, including scholarships for students entering behavioral health fields and loan repayment for licensed providers who work in rural areas for at least two years; funds may cover tuition, licensure fees, and relocation costs.','Authorizes the Department of Mental Health to adopt rules to implement, administer, and facilitate the act.','Effective October 1, 2026.'])}json.stringify({}) } } } {

Key Provisions

• Creates the Rural Behavioral Health and Mental Health Access Fund in the State Treasury to provide grants, scholarships, and technical assistance for programs under this act.
• Establishes a competitive grant program to support construction, renovation, or expansion of rural mental health and substance use treatment facilities and to fund staffing and startup costs; eligible applicants include nonprofits, community health centers, counties, and tribal entities.
• Provides grants to rural providers for telehealth equipment, broadband installation/maintenance, and staff training; priority to high-need, low-access rural populations.
• Funds primary care practices to integrate behavioral health services by supporting hiring or co-location of mental health professionals, collaborative care models, and care coordination protocols, with technical assistance from the department.
• Offers financial incentives to build the rural mental health workforce, including scholarships for students entering behavioral health fields and loan repayment for licensed providers who work in rural areas for at least two years; funds may cover tuition, licensure fees, and relocation costs.
• Authorizes the Department of Mental Health to adopt rules to implement, administer, and facilitate the act.
• Effective October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 on Mar 10, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Mental Health