Distribution of CARES Act Provider Relief Funding to Psychiatric Care Organizations

More than $100 billion in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding was intended to support financially stressed health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The distribution of the CARES Act’s Provider Relief Fund among psychiatrists is poorly understood. Analyzing funding received by 2,593 psychiatric care organizations (PCOs), the authors found that funding was more equally distributed across care organizations of different sizes in psychiatry versus other specialties. Substantially less relief funding was received by PCOs per provider relative to other specialties. This disparity in relief funding is surprising given that specific earmarks of the CARES Act were intended to improve U.S. mental health care capacity, meriting further attention.