Washington DC - April 3, 2025: The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is gravely concerned about the proposed reorganization of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would consolidate the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America. This consolidation, along with the elimination of thousands of HHS staff positions, comes at the exact moment the nation’s youth mental health crisis demands more support—not less.

As the leading national organization representing over 11,000 child and adolescent psychiatrists, AACAP urges federal leaders to reconsider this reorganization. Child and adolescent behavioral healthcare systems rely on SAMHSA programs for training, grants, community services, and suicide prevention resources. The least resourced American communities rely on HRSA-funded health centers for low or no cost behavioral healthcare while the clinicians working within these health centers rely on HRSA student loan repayment programs to offset the enormous cost associated with clinical training. These lifelines must be strengthened, not absorbed into broad administrative systems where the distinct needs of children risk being overlooked.

AACAP stands ready to work with HHS and federal partners to ensure any structural changes continue to prioritize developmentally informed, family-centered, and evidence-based approaches. America’s children cannot be an afterthought. Their well-being must remain a central pillar of public health policy.

###

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the leading physician authority on children’s mental health. For more information, please visit www.aacap.org