Biden Announces Unity Agenda for Tackling America’s Mental Health Crisis
WASHINGTON — During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Biden touched on how the pandemic has increased the mental health challenges Americans face, as disruptions in routines and relationships have led to increases in social isolation.
“Let’s get all Americans the mental health services they need… and full parity between physical and mental health care, if we treat it that way in our insurance,” said Biden, in his address to a mostly unmasked room of members of Congress, the Cabinet and justices of the Supreme Court.
A recent study finds that two of five adults in the U.S. report symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Research indicates the impact of the mental health crisis has been particularly felt among youth during the pandemic, with rising youth hospitalizations involving suicide and self-harm linked to both school closures and increased use of social media.
“It’s time to strengthen privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to children,” said Biden, Tuesday night.
Through the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act — currently awaiting Biden’s signature — $135 million will also be invested over three years into training health care providers on suicide prevention and behavioral health.
To further address the mental health issues which U.S. adults and children face, Biden plans to provide $700 million in mental health program investments in the FY23 budget.
These programs include the National Health Service Corps, Behavioral Health Workforce and Education Training Program and Minority Fellowship Program — which provide mental health and substance use disorder clinicians with access to scholarships and loan repayment programs if they commit to practicing in rural and underserved communities.
The FY23 budget also calls for $5 million in research on promising models for treating mental health conditions.
A campaign will be launched to promote help-seeking and self-care among the health care workforce. A national program will be created for peer specialists to convene stakeholders and support national certified peer specialist certification programs across the health care system.
In the fall of 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services also expects to award over $225 million in training programs to increase the number of community health workers.
Another big part of the agenda, according to Biden, will be to better support the physical and mental health needs of veterans.
Wednesday, House members held a conference on burn pit legislation known as the Burn Pit Benefits bill surrounding military toxic exposure, after the Senate recently passed the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act.
This legislation would provide disability payments and medical care coverage for service members who have developed an illness, such a brain cancer or respiratory illness, relating to hazards like toxic smoke from burn pits.
“My administration provided assistance in job training, housing, and now helping lower income veterans get VA care, debt free,” said Biden during the State of the Union.
Also included in the agenda, Biden aims to cut cancer death rates by 50% over the next 25 years and turn cancer from a death sentence into a treatable disease by requesting Congress fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
“ARPA-H will have a singular purpose to drive breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes and more. A unity agenda for the nation,” said Biden.
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