Mental Health Advocacy Group Applauds President Biden for Addressing Mental Health Crisis
Washington, D.C. – This evening, President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address of his presidency where he outlined priorities relating to the economy and global crises. In addition, the President shared a comprehensive strategy to address the growing mental health crisis.
“Let’s get all Americans the mental health services they need. More people they can turn to for help, and full parity between physical and mental health care,” President Biden stated.
“The evidence doesn’t lie – rates of depression and anxiety in addition to feelings of hopelessness and sadness have skyrocketed in recent years, only to be further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Edward Garcia III, MHS, Co-Founder and Board Member of ANMH. “We applaud the Biden Administration on taking historic steps to lead our nation toward better mental health and wellbeing – with a particular focus on youth and historically underserved communities.”
Within his remarks, President Biden highlighted building system capacity, connecting people to care, and providing support to American adults and youth through addressing mental health equity. This strategy aligns with ANMH’s policy priorities including strengthening behavioral health parity, expanding access to school-based interventions, addressing stigmatization related to seeking help, and investing in a diverse, culturally competent mental health workforce. President Biden’s plan to address the national mental health crisis can be found here.
ACTNow for Mental Health is dedicated to expanding access to mental health services and supports, fighting mental and behavioral health stigma, and enhancing health equity. ANMH works to match young adults in need of free or low-cost, culturally competent behavioral health care, with a focus on historically underserved communities including LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), people with physical, intellectual, or mental health disabilities, and people who are uninsured or underinsured. For more information, please visit www.anmh.info.