Several U.S. Senators are moving forward aggressively to improve access to mental health services, particularly for children and individuals from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. These efforts come on the heels of the introduction of legislation designed to assist schools in offering robust, school-based mental health services.
The Mental Health Services for Students Act would help underrepresented students by providing funding to develop school partnerships with community-based organizations equipped to assist schools in providing mental health services. The funding also would be deployed to train educators and school administrators to best detect when students experience mental health crises or related situations for which the students need help.
Senators Tina Smith (MN) and Chris Murphy (CT) co-led the bill’s introduction and several other senators co-sponsored the legislation, including Senators Whitehouse (RI), Masto (NV), Wyden (OR), Hirono (HI), Van Hollen (MD), Sanders (VT), and Padilla (CA).
Health equity advocates have been promulgating the strong efficacy of schools in targeting youth requiring mental health services and providing them with the resources necessary to address their needs. Among the greatest challenges the legislation seeks to address is the fact that many schools, especially those located in underserved and rural areas, are constrained by narrow budgets that inhibit their ability to fund the initiatives and support systems required to best address the mental health needs across these populations.
Additional information about the bill can be accessed here.
