Healthy Steps April 2026 Expansion

The New York State Office of Mental Health announces funding for the expanded implementation of HealthySteps in pediatric and family medicine practices across New York State. OMH anticipates making up to 38 awards statewide, contingent on available funding, with priority for counties without existing HealthySteps sites and areas with higher percentages of births covered by Medicaid or self-pay. The funding is specifically for new HealthySteps sites and is part of OMH’s broader investment in strengthening the mental health system and increasing access to prevention-focused supports for young children and families. HealthySteps is an evidence-based model that integrates early childhood mental and physical health care into pediatric primary care. The program serves children ages 0 to 3 and their families, with service through age 5 optional. The model is designed to be non-stigmatizing and universally accessible because families often have early and repeated contact with pediatric care through well-child visits. HealthySteps Specialists work as part of the care team to support developmental, social-emotional, behavioral, caregiver mental health, and family needs, including needs related to food, housing, and other social determinants of health. Funds support one full-time equivalent HealthySteps Specialist position at each awarded site, or a shared full-time equivalent position across two eligible small partnering sites. Each awarded individual site may receive HealthySteps Specialist salary and fringe funding of $111,333 in each of years 1, 2, and 3, and $50,000 in each of years 4 and 5. Partnering sites receive adjusted half-share amounts. Separate Program Development Grant funding may also support Virtual HealthySteps Institute training and technical assistance and data system alignment during the first 18 months. Up to 15 percent of the HealthySteps Specialist salary may be used for administrative costs, but Program Development Grant funds are fixed costs and cannot be used for administration. No cost share or matching requirement is stated. Eligible applicants are New York State pediatric or family medical practices whose population includes children ages 0 to 3 and that deliver or have the potential to deliver well-child visits in a pediatric or family medicine setting. Eligible examples include Federally Qualified Health Centers, American Indian Health Programs in New York State, Rural Health Centers, and Community Health Centers. Each applicant must be applying to become a new HealthySteps site. Existing HealthySteps sites and sites that accepted or anticipate OMH HealthySteps funding from the listed prior RFAs are not eligible, although organizations with existing sites may apply for different or additional new locations. Each practice location must submit a separate application and must have a minimum panel size of 100 children ages 0 to 3. Small practices may partner under specific conditions if they are in the same healthcare system or integrated provider network and meet combined panel size requirements. Applicants must attest in the Statewide Financial System to 14 program requirements, including maintaining a HealthySteps Specialist, providing supervision, identifying a physician champion, providing integrated office space, establishing an implementation team, participating in required training and technical assistance, maintaining affiliation with the HealthySteps National Office, meeting fidelity requirements within three years, implementing the eight core components, distributing family materials, maintaining referral directories, supporting health equity and language access, participating in a learning collaborative, and submitting required data and reports. Failure to attest to any required component results in automatic disqualification. Applications must be submitted online through the Statewide Financial System. The RFA was released April 28, 2026, questions are due May 19, 2026, Q&A will be posted June 11, 2026, and applications are due by 1:00 PM Eastern Time on July 2, 2026. Anticipated award notification is July 30, 2026, with the earliest anticipated contract start date of January 1, 2027. Contracts are expected to run for five years. The issuing officer is Carol Swiderski, and RFA questions must be emailed to OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov with “HealthySteps RFA 2026” in the subject line.

Prioritize complete SFS submission and prequalification well before the deadline; confirm the site is a new HealthySteps site and not excluded by prior awards; ensure the practice can attest to every program requirement because inability to attest causes automatic disqualification; document panel size and county or ZIP priority factors; submit questions by the stated deadline because late questions will not be answered.