Leaders with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently celebrated the approval of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (HR 2646) with the House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C).
The goal is to improve the mental health care system throughout the U.S. The bill provides various perspectives concerning complicated issues. It also gives crucial outlines for boosting mental health care throughout the U.S. by encouraging early intervention; supporting integration of primary care, substance use and mental health; and offering grants for tracking residential and inpatient beds.
"Today, one in five Americans have a mental health condition: with the right help, people can live well and thrive, but at least half of people with mental illness do not get the care they need," NAMI CEO Mary Giliberti said. "It takes leadership on all levels to improve the nation's mental health care system. We applaud the House Energy & Commerce Committee's passage of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act as a step in the right direction as we begin to address the many gaps in America's mental health system."
Reps. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Eddie Johnson (D-TX) introduced the bill.
"We congratulate the House Energy & Commerce Committee members -- Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, and Ranking Member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) -- for their significant efforts to craft a bipartisan bill that will improve mental health care in our country by refocusing programs, improving grants and removing federal barriers to care," Giliberti said.
