Recently, I had the privilege of attending a celebration of the transition of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to 988 and felt a sense of excitement and with a sense of accomplishment. I went to bed contented. I woke up the next morning, and when I checked out social…
BREAKING NEWS $300M To Go Towards School-Based Mental Health Services Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that nearly $300 million, secured through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, will be put towards improving school-based mental health services. Two new programs have been introduced, the Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration…
Growing up, you were probably taught to “just say no” to drugs like marijuana or heroin. But after learning about their dangers, you may have come home to see your parents drinking a beer or having a glass of wine with dinner. While alcohol is addictive and intoxicating (i.e., it…
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT In discussing the impact of SUD on rural communities at Tuesday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on substance use, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) pointed toward Kansas’ use of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) to localize care and increase SUD…
The data tells a frightening story, so we need to work harder to change the ending. Rates of mental illnesses in African American adults are similar to those of the general population, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). However, only one-in-three African American adults who need mental health care…
The opioid epidemic has spared no one. But the impact on some groups has received less attention. An estimated 1 million older people in the United States have a substance use challenge, but they are less likely to seek treatment, even though they are just as likely to benefit…
I had the honor on Monday of participating in an event at the White House to commemorate passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.The magnificence of that moment was in the realization that the new law represents our nation’s most significant investment in mental health programs since the Kennedy…
For this blog post, the second in our “Partner Perspectives” series, we sat down with Scott Lloyd, president and CEO of MTM Services – a National Council Platinum Partner – to learn more about their work, the future of the field and…
The horror of our nation’s youth mental health crisis is best understood by listening to young people describe the mental health and substance use challenges they have faced – and continue to face.A new documentary by Ken Burns, “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” tells…
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides the best opportunity in decades to eliminate the barriers that make it so hard for people to access care.