Bill > H3461

This bill proposes that the Department of Mental Health (DMH) create a program focused on researching, developing, and bringing to market new technologies for treating and supporting individuals with mental illness and brain-based disorders. The DMH would achieve this by offering grants to state agencies, programs, and institutions that deliver mental healthcare services, enabling them to test and implement innovative technologies. The program aims to foster research and innovation in mental healthcare to reduce state costs, attract companies and research funding to the state, and improve the quality of life for those with mental illness. It also seeks to build a supportive environment for brain health technology research and innovation in Massachusetts, provide assistance to companies and researchers in this field, and learn from the state's past successes in growing other technology sectors like biotechnology and green technology. Ultimately, the bill intends to bridge the current gap in innovation within mental healthcare compared to other technology fields.