Public Policy News and Updates
On July 14, the U.S. House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations conducted a hearing to examine the progress of suicide prevention efforts within the Department of Veterans Affairs. AFSP Medical Director Dr. Paula Clayton was asked to submit testimony for the record. Dr. Clayton’s testimony emphasized the need to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health treatment for those who have served in the armed forces. Dr. Clayton wants our veterans to know that seeking help for mental health and substance abuse problems is a sign of strength. Dr. Clayton implored the committee to understand that suicide among veterans is an “absolute crisis,” and to offer any and all assistance to the Department of Veterans Affairs as they implement programs to prevent suicide.
Others, who personally testified at the hearing, echoed this message. Linda Bean, a survivor of her veteran son’s suicide, stated emphatically that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to actively publicize and make available mental health resources for veterans and their families. Additionally, a veteran of the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, retired warrant officer Melvin Citron, shared his story about struggling to receive mental health care through the healthcare systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs. From his experience, he sees a critical need to boost and implement mental health services that help those in dire need as well as those who may have not yet reached desperation.
Other witnesses who appeared before the committee shared their specific expertise and knowledge about suicide prevention among veterans. These individuals ranged from officials serving at the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to veteran service organizations, such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. For a full list of witnesses and to view the written statements, click here.
On June 26, Illinois pushed forward in the fight to prevent youth suicides as Gov. Pan Quinn signed a bill into law that requires school social workers for grades 7 through 12 to receive suicide prevention training. In addition, this new law allows suicide prevention activities to be a possible professional development activity for teacher certification or certification renewal. These provisions, which took effect immediately, will add to current Illinois statutes that require the training of guidance counselors and teachers for grades 7 through 12 in suicide prevention. For the full text of the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), click here.
On June 24, the U.S. House of Representative's Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, which is within the Education and Labor Committee, held a hearing about student internet safety -- focusing on the pressing problem of cyberbullying. The hearing was titled “Ensuring Student Cyber Safety,” and those providing testimony ranged from television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw to Barbara-Jane Paris, a school administrator from Austin, Texas. A total of six individuals testified before this subcommittee about the danger of cyberbullying, and many of the witnesses emphasized the link between this problem and suicides among youth in this country. For more information on the hearing, including the webcast and the testimonies, click here.
Healthcare reform legislation (the Affordable Care Act), signed into law in March of this year, will increase access to mental health treatment and strengthen mental health parity over the next few years. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury recently took the first major step toward accomplishing these goals, issuing regulations on the implementation of a Patient’s Bill of Rights. This document ensures that children, and eventually all Americans, with pre-existing conditions will have access to health insurance coverage. Additionally, the Patient’s Bill of Rights ensures that this same population will be able to keep their coverage, and it allows Americans to maintain their choice of physicians. Finally, these regulations bring an end to lifetime limits on care.
These and other provisions in the Patient’s Bill of Rights will help prevent suicides through access to appropriate and ongoing mental health care that many Americans have been previously denied. For more information on the Patient’s Bill of Rights, click here.
On June 23, the Senate approved Senate Resolution 541, which designates June 27 as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day." The resolution was passed thanks to the support of sponsor Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), AFSP Field Advocates, and the following 12 cosponsors: Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Samuel Brownback (R-KS), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
As the number of military service members and veterans diagnosed with PTSD increases, there is a dire need for research devoted to prevention, diagnosis and treatment to mitigate the risk of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and depression. The resolution urges that the secretary of veterans affairs and the secretary of defense do more to educate service members, veterans and their families about the underlying causes, signs and possible treatments of the disorder. A special thanks to AFSP-ND Chapter Chair Mary Weiler and Co-Chair Brenda Weiler for their instrumental role in the successful passage of this resolution.
On June 22, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to receive testimony on the progress in preventing military suicides and challenges in detection and care of the invisible wounds of war. For details on the hearing, including an archived webcast and copies of testimony submitted by witnesses, click here. For a copy of the resolution, click here.
AFSP seeks support from the Massachusetts Senate for House Bill 4689 (MA HB 4689), a bill relative to manufacturer rebates and discount coupons for prescription medications. AFSP Executive Director Bob Gebbia sent a letter to Chairman Steven Panagiotakos of the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee urging for approval by the full Senate for MA HB 4689, which would make prescription drugs more affordable and treatment more accessible. Easier access to medication would help people be better able to deal with one of the most important risk factors for suicide: untreated psychiatric disorders. Less costly medication would help provide patients with the treatment they need and make suicide prevention more possible. For a copy of the letter, click here.
On June 14, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law legislation that incorporates suicide prevention education and training into the professional development plans for school personnel. Senate Bill 434 and House Bill 1061 gives all statewide school personnel the opportunity to bolster their in-service development plans through cost-free online and in-person suicide prevention training options. School personnel are present in the lives of their students every day and are integral players on the front lines in the battle to prevent suicide through education and outreach while being able to intervene in the event of a crisis.
On May 28, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) and Gene Green (D-TX) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As the lead government agency charged with implementation of suicide prevention initiatives, AFSP/SPAN USA public policy staff will be closely examining the legislation as it moves forward.
Of particular significance are the provisions relating to the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act programs, including the authorization of funds for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies, and mental health and substance use disorder services on college campuses. Additionally, the SAMHSA reauthorization establishes older adult mental health grants to address the mental health needs of older Americans by supporting establishment and maintenance of geriatric outreach teams, developing and implementing older adult suicide and prevention strategies, among other services.
Currently there is no companion bill in the Senate, however, AFSP/SPAN USA public policy staff is working with the Senate to get a bill introduced. There has been discussion among Senate staff about adding an additional grant program to provide counseling assistance to college campuses. AFSP/SPAN USA would like to thank Reps. Kennedy and Green for their hard work and dedication to mental health issues and suicide prevention.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution authored by Rep. Grace Napolitano designating May as Mental Health Month. The final vote was 407 to 1, with 24 abstaining.
“Mental health is an issue that has been ignored for decades,” Napolitano said. “It is time we acknowledged that untreated mental illness continues to cause suffering among our friends, family, soldiers and veterans. Awareness is essential for erasing the myths and stigma surrounding mental illness that prevent people from seeking care. I applaud my fellow members of Congress for their support and hope to call upon them again for future legislation addressing mental health concerns.”
Napolitano is the author of H.R. 2531, the Mental Health in Schools Act, which would provide grant funding for preventive mental health services in public schools. The bill is modeled after a successful mental health program Napolitano has supported in her district over the last nine years.
In May, mental health non-profits and advocacy groups held rallies and educational events across the country to raise awareness about mental health issues. Napolitano held three briefings in Washington this month to educate congressional staff on mental health issues. The first focused on children’s mental health, the second on mental health programs in the U.S. military, and the third on suicide prevention. Napolitano is the co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus.
Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA) have submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that expresses the sense of Congress that the current policy that prohibits sending a presidential letter of condolence to the family of a member of the Armed Forces who has died by suicide only serves to perpetuate the stigma of mental illness that pervades the armed forces and the president, as commander-in-chief, should overturn the policy and treat all military families equally. To see a copy of the amendment, click here.
On May 25, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) made a statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on H. Res. 1258 -- Designating May as Mental Health Month. Watch the Congresswoman's statement here at the 10:00 minute mark.
On May 20, AFSP Executive Director Robert Gebbia sent a letter to members of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. In the letter, he requested the funding necessary to implement the ENHANCED Act (Depression Centers of Excellence) in the Fiscal Year 2011 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act.
The ENHANCED Act was included in the comprehensive healthcare reform bill. This act authorizes funding to SAMHSA over 10 years to support a national network of up to 30 centers of excellence to translate academic treatment advances into clinical care throughout the nation, standardize diagnoses, treat depression and bipolar disorder more effectively, erase the stigma and lessen the huge financial costs associated with these diseases. In addition to already existing Centers in California, Colorado and Michigan, over a dozen more clinical depression centers around the country are being planned to address the need for greater geographic dissemination of high quality depression care. Priority areas for expansion include Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois, as well as Southern California, Rhode Island and Florida.
The ENHANCED Act will award competitive grants for the creation of up to 30 depression centers throughout the country. Each center is required to contribute $1 of their own funds for every $5 of federal funding received in an effort to leverage federal dollars and maximize operational efficiency and effectiveness. This federal funding will provide much needed resources and coordination to the mental health community allowing them to develop universally accepted evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approaches and real-time clinical and care management guidelines. According to a University of Michigan study, for every $100 million invested, there is an estimated savings of $250 million in healthcare costs and increased productivity.
AFSP/SPAN USA believes that the ENHANCED Act will save lives and money. Suicide is a preventable public health problem and a leading cause of death in this country. More investment in research will prevent the untimely deaths of thousands of American each year. To view an electronic copy of the letter to the Senate please click here and here for a copy of the House letter.
On May 3, Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law a measure to crack down on school bullying across the state. The law prohibits any actions that could cause emotional or physical harm to students, including text messages and taunting over the Internet. It also mandates antibullying training for faculty as well as students, and requires that parents be informed of incidents at school. It also requires every school employee, including custodians and cafeteria workers, to report incidents of suspected bullying and that principals investigate each case.
On April 29, AFSP signed on to a letter sent by the Mental Health Liaison Group supporting the Interim Final Rules for the Wellstone/Domenici Act and on April 30 submitted its own comments to federal agencies on the interim final rules. For copies of these comments, click here and here.
On March 25, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) introduced H. Res. 1229, expressing the sense of the U.S. House of Representatives that the president should overturn the policy that prohibits sending a presidential letter of condolence to the family of a member of the Armed Forces who has died by suicide.
The resolution, originally cosponsored by 41 Democratic and Republican members of the House, now has 54 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel as of April 23. For further information on the bill, including a list of cosponsors, click here.
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