Bipartisan legislation provides resources to relieve mental health provider shortage
Four U.S. Members of Congress jointly introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this week that would provide assistance to mental health patients in crisis.
The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Accessibility Act of 2017 – introduced by U.S. Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and Tim Murphy (R-PA) – enables the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide loans to local organizations seeking to build psychiatric and substance abuse facilities, in order to alleviate the shortage of inpatient beds and mental health providers in the United States.
“Our country is facing a mental health challenge that has hit all our communities,” Kilmer said. “Too many of our neighbors are suffering from behavioral and substance abuse disorders and not getting proper treatment. That has left emergency rooms and jail cells overwhelmed while leaving families hurting.”
This bipartisan act would invest in community-based entities, and would support the expansion of treatment facilities for psychiatric patients and substance abuse patients.
“Individuals and families struggling with mental health disorders will benefit from this important, bipartisan solution,” Beutler said. “Too often, hospitals and law enforcement are having to overcommit resources and are simply ill-equipped to try and assist those individuals in a mental health crisis – and our effort will provide relief and strengthen our communities.”
Source: Life Science Daily