Bishop votes to expand mental health, substance abuse issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., D-Ga., supported the adoption of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, a bipartisan legislative package that would expand access to mental health resources for America’s veterans, students, and working families.

This bill would strengthen and expand more than 30 critical programs that collectively support mental health care and substance abuse prevention, care, treatment and recovery. It also would work to bolster the behavioral health work force and invest in integrating mental health services into pediatric and adolescent care. States would be provided with the resources necessary for effective Medicaid and telehealth services that would properly address the crises currently facing the nation.

“This bill is an important step forward in addressing the mental health challenges we face in America,” Bishop said in a news release. “Because of the stigma around mental illness and the limited number of mental health providers, many Georgians do not have access to the life-saving treatment that they need.

“Americans from all walks of life face these struggles. This bill will improve our ability to care for and protect all Americans who are suffering, from our children to our military veterans.”

A majority of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime,, health officials say. Two million Americans have an opioid use disorder, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death among children ages 10 to 14. Increased anxiety and depression have led to negative outcomes from social isolation to increased crime and gun violence. Meanwhile, nearly 122 million Americans live in areas where there is a shortage of mental health care professionals and there continue to be challenges with health insurance coverage for this much-needed care.

The resources laid out in the bill will help address a long stigmatized aspect of many Americans’ livelihoods, especially as the country emerges from a global pandemic in which many had to isolate for personal and public health safety.

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher