MHA's Blog: Chiming In

On Thursday, February 17, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano and a panel of mental health advocates and experts, including LA Laker Ron Artest and champion boxer Mia St. John, will examine the Mental Health in Schools Act, a bill authored by Napolitano to allocate federal grant funding for mental health services in schools. One in five children and adolescents in the United States currently suffers from a mental illness, and most will have shown their first symptoms by age 14. Professional treatment can prevent depression, crime, imprisonment and suicide later in life, but lack of support for mental health services has left many youth without help. By putting more licensed professionals on-site and in the schools, the Mental Health in Schools Act will help detect mental illness early and assist youth before their problems grow worse. The briefing will examine the potential effect of the Mental Health in Schools Act and hear from advocates who have personally been affected by mental health programs in their own lives.

 More information available at www.napolitano.house.gov/mhsa.shtml

Join Us this Month for Webinars on Five Key Issues for Advocates

• Health Reform
• State Budget Advocacy
• Access to Medications
• Criminal Justice
• Parity

Mental Health America will hold a series of webinars this month on these five key advocacy issues and toolkits we have produced, which are linked above.

Read more...

Mental Health America has created toolkits on five key issues to help advocates navigate emerging trends and the impact of federal legislation on the states.

The five toolkits—linked here—cover Health Reform; State Budget Advocacy; Access to Medications; Criminal Justice; and Parity. They offer handy and essential information for advocates, including white papers, fact sheets, sample legislation, talking points, and additional resources.

Read more...

Mental Health America is marking tomorrow’s six month anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which will greatly expand access to mental health care and addiction treatment. 

“The Affordable Care Act marks a tremendous step forward in our efforts to improve access to care for individuals with mental health or substance use conditions and in our advocacy for prevention of these conditions,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America.

Read more...