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Ask Senate HELP Committee members to support the increased block grant level and a set aside for prevention and early intervention!
Since the first weeks of the public health emergency, MHA screening data has shown increases in anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidality. CDC data demonstrate similar trends and its most recent survey revealed that in 2021, 44% of high school students reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. Providing early mental health education, supports, and services to young people at this moment is tantamount. However, the primary source of funding to states for community-based mental health - SAMSHA’s Community Mental Health Block Grant - is restricted to youth with serious emotional disturbance and cannot be used for prevention or to help youth when signs of a mental health condition first start.
Congress has held over 15 hearings since the beginning of the year on the mental health crisis. Yet, a recent House bill (H.R. 7666) authorized flat funding for the mental health block grant for the next five years. A Senate bill (S. 4170) raised the level of the Mental Health Block Grant to $1 billion and included a 5% set aside for prevention and early intervention activities. Please ensure that as the Senate bill is considered by the Health, Education, and Labor (HELP) Committee, the Senate keeps the higher funding levels and the prevention and early intervention set aside by sending them an email now.
Please reach out to your Senate HELP committee members today to ask them to support the increased block grant level and a set aside for prevention and early intervention.
Ask Senate HELP Committee members to support the increased block grant level and a set aside for prevention and early intervention!
Since the first weeks of the public health emergency, MHA screening data has shown increases in anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidality. CDC data demonstrate similar trends and its most recent survey revealed that in 2021, 44% of high school students reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. Providing early mental health education, supports, and services to young people at this moment is tantamount. However, the primary source of funding to states for community-based mental health - SAMSHA’s Community Mental Health Block Grant - is restricted to youth with serious emotional disturbance and cannot be used for prevention or to help youth when signs of a mental health condition first start.
Congress has held over 15 hearings since the beginning of the year on the mental health crisis. Yet, a recent House bill (H.R. 7666) authorized flat funding for the mental health block grant for the next five years. A Senate bill (S. 4170) raised the level of the Mental Health Block Grant to $1 billion and included a 5% set aside for prevention and early intervention activities. Please ensure that as the Senate bill is considered by the Health, Education, and Labor (HELP) Committee, the Senate keeps the higher funding levels and the prevention and early intervention set aside by sending them an email now.
Please reach out to your Senate HELP committee members today to ask them to support the increased block grant level and a set aside for prevention and early intervention.
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Help us mobilize our grassroots advocates with a donation so we can continue to assure that our legislators prioritize mental health.