On July 21, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) introduced a House resolution (H. Res 1057) that would call on Congress to pursue universal behavioral health care while addressing systemic socioeconomic inequities within the current system. Kennedy’s staff reached out to APA requesting feedback to an earlier draft of this resolution. Through a cross-team collaborative effort, APA staff provided data and proposed language to Kennedy highlighting the ongoing barriers to accessing mental and behavioral health care, particularly amongst racial and ethnic minorities.
APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, released a statement commending Kennedy for “the comprehensive vision reflected in the Resolution to improve the overall well-being of Americans with or at risk of mental health and substance use disorders, through a ‘whole person’ approach to care.” APA supported this resolution alongside more than 40 national health-care advocacy groups, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Alliance for Mental Illness, and Families USA.
For more information, please contact: Laurel Stine, JD and Andrew Strickland, JD.