Dear NAMI Greater Houston Advocate,
The NAMI Greater Houston Public Policy and Advocacy Committee asks you to please reach out to Senator Cornyn to thank him for co-sponsoring the Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act. Then encourage him to co-sponsor two bills in the U.S. Senate. The Mental Health Services for Students Act and the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act have passed the U.S. House and have numerous Democratic cosponsors in the Senate. Bipartisan support from Senator Cornyn will improve the chances of the bills becoming law. Both bills promote NAMI Greater Houston’s mission to advocate for non-discriminatory access to quality healthcare for people with mental illness. Both also target help for children and teenagers for whom the American Academy of Pediatrics have declared a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health.
Background:
The Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act (S.1902) empowers communities to establish a continuum of care for individuals experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis. The continuum of care must include 24-7 crisis hotlines, emergency treatment, and stabilization services. The bill also expands health insurance coverage for behavioral health crisis services and expands the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant to help states develop infrastructure for crisis response services. Finally, the bill requires HHS and DOJ to use expert recommendations to train emergency services dispatchers and crisis call center personnel to respond appropriately to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Mental Health Services for Students Act (S.1841) provides grants to schools to address the great and growing need for mental health services for teens and adolescents during this pandemic. It authorizes the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Educational Agency Grant Program to be administered by SAMHSA. These grants will support school-based mental health services, including screening, treatment, and outreach programs.
The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act (S.1795) establishes and expands programs to address racial and ethnic disparities in mental health by awarding grants to (1) establish interprofessional behavioral health care teams in areas with a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups, and (2) update curricula for training social workers, psychologists, and other behavioral health professionals, to use best practices to address mental health disparities. The bill also promotes behavioral health and reduces stigma through outreach to minority groups, and it reauthorizes the minority fellowship program to support the education of mental health professionals who provide services to racial and ethnic minorities.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Make contact.
Follow this link: Contact John Cornyn | United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas (senate.gov)
Click on the “Discuss an Issue” button.
Select “Health Care” on the pull-down menu. Cut and paste the sample letter below after adding your name and any relevant personal experience with mental health issues that might be impacted by the two bills.
Or you can call Senator Cornyn’s office speak to an aide at 202-224-2934 (ask for Senator Cornyn’s office)
2. Urge Action. You can use this script and talking points. Adding a personal story about your experience or that of a family member will make more of an impact on Senator Cornyn.
“Dear Senator Cornyn,
My name is xxx, and I am your constituent and a member of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) of Greater Houston. Thank you for co-sponsoring the Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act. To further your commitment to improving mental health care, please consider signing on as a co-sponsor to the Mental Health Services for Students Act (S.1841) and the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act (S.1795). Both bills are important to me as an advocate for better mental health care. The first bill funnels resources to schools to address the growing need for mental health services for teens and adolescents.
[Personal story about teens and student mental health (optional)]
The second bill provides funds to address the impact of mental health on ethnic and minority communities who have not had equal access to mental health care, by funding outreach, studies, and improved professional services.
[Personal story about lack of mental health services in minority communities (optional)]
Please support S.1841 and S.1795 by adding your name as a co-sponsor. Families in your district will thank you for it.
Thank you for considering this important matter. ”
[Name and contact information.]”
3. Report back to us and let us know how it went. You can also send a copy of your email or edited script.
Thanks,
Jane Malin
Chair, Public Policy and Advocacy Committee
NAMI Greater Houston