Investing in Mental Healthcare

So many of us personally know someone recovering from an opioid addiction, a veteran fighting PTSD, a family trying to break the cycle of abuse and neglect, or a loved one dealing with anxiety and depression. As a legislative body, we are taking a transformative approach toward how we think about and provide care for those with mental health issues.

The Senate included $10 million in next year’s state budget to support efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness and increase access. The funds will be used to expand access to services for every region and for all residents, increase the number of well-trained practitioners, shore up our efforts to increase mental health parity, and instill awareness that mental healthcare is healthcare.

We’ll continue to work with our healthcare partners to identify gaps in access and treatment and encourage leaders in the business community to evaluate and improve their own mental health support systems. As engaged members of our communities, we’ll focus on normalizing conversations about mental health to empower our neighbors to step forward and ask for help when it is needed.

Together, we’re going to achieve true mental health parity and find creative ways to integrate preventive mental healthcare into our healthcare system.