WASHINGTON – Today, on World Mental Health Day, Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) introduced a comprehensive Mental Health Emergency Package—three pieces of legislation that would expand access to life-saving care, reduce reliance on law enforcement for behavioral health emergencies, and demonstrate our shared commitment to ensuring every young person and family has the support they need.
“In Arizona and across the country, families are navigating a worsening mental health crisis. Too often, help comes too late,” said Rep. Ansari. “I’ve met young people who have lost friends to suicide, and their heartbreak and urgent calls for help demand that we do more. I’m proud to lead this effort to save lives and support every person who needs it.”
“America is facing a mental health crisis. Every suicide is not just a tragedy, but avoidable. This package of legislation recognizes the crisis we are facing and the need to enact studied and proven solutions. I thank Congresswoman Ansari for her tireless commitment to this issue and her partnership as we work to get the American people, and especially our children, the help they need. Together, we can ease pain and save lives,” said Rep. Watson Coleman.
Ansari and Watson Coleman’s Mental Health Emergency Package includes:
Ansari’s Youth Mental Health Day and Suicide Prevention Day Resolution would declare the need for increased investments in youth mental health, recognizes May 31st as Youth Mental Health Day and September 9th as Youth Suicide Prevention Day, and calls on federal, state, and local governments to prioritize youth mental health and suicide prevention.
The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Paul Tonko (NY-20).
Watson Coleman and Ansari’s Mental Health Crisis Response Act would establish Department of Justice grants to help communities implement health-centered crisis response strategies, including embedding mental health professionals in 911 systems and creating seamless connections to 988 and local crisis teams.
Cosponsored by Representatives Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
Ansari’s Mental Health Emergency Responder Act would create a competitive grant program through the Department of Health and Human Services to expand behavioral health crisis response programs that do not rely primarily on law enforcement, including clinician-led mobile crisis teams.
Cosponsored by Representatives Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
SUPPORT FOR THE LEGISLATION
Mental Health Emergency Package is also endorsed by Phoenix City Mayor Kate Gallego, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Sandy Hook Promise, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National League for Nursing, The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN), Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), The National Federation of Families (NFF), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Active Minds, American Psychiatric Association (APA), and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).
“I applaud Reps. Ansari and Watson Coleman for introducing this legislative package that would equip local governments with tools to implement meaningful mental health response strategies,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “Responding to mental health crises requires a whole-of-government approach, and I am encouraged by this effort to increase federal investments.”
“It has been a true honor to get to work with esteemed leaders like Congresswoman Ansari and Congresswoman Watson Coleman on this crisis response legislation. As a 16-year-old advocating for youth mental health and suicide prevention, the idea that lawmakers are looking to young people like myself for inspiration on legislation, is humbling,” said Ayaan Moledina, Federal Policy Director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). “These bills are based on the lived experiences of young people like myself who have struggled with mental health struggles and suicidal ideation, all while having negative encounters with crisis services and law enforcement. The resolution in this package was inspired by the passing of a friend of mine who ended his own life earlier this year and we are ensuring that his legacy lives on by declaring his birthday as Youth Mental Health Day. These life-saving measures are a result of the support and leadership of decision-makers like Representatives Ansari and Watson Coleman. I am eternally grateful to them because through all the trauma and immense pain I have been through, I have had their support and personal friendship. Their advocacy on my behalf has made me a stronger person and I hope that every member of Congress sees the bipartisan nature of these efforts and joins the fight to stop suicide.”
“Youth with mental health challenges and their families need support now more than ever! This package provides essential training for the workforces that support families experiencing a behavioral health crisis, ensuring youth and families access treatment at the moment of a crisis when they dial 988 or 911 rather than waiting hours in overcrowded emergency rooms that are not equipped to deliver the specific services youth require. The National Federation of Families enthusiastically supports this package and urges the 119th Congress to ensure continued funding for other programs essential to families' success,” said Dana LaBranche, National Certification Manager and Project Specialist of National Federation of Families.
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