Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Vice Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today in releasing a report detailing the impact that COVID-19 is having on the mental health of Americans. The report can be found here.
The report outlines how Congress must invest in behavioral health services and not leave behind those with mental illness and addiction. A survey conducted in April of 880 behavioral health facilities by the National Council for Behavioral Health found nearly two out of three believe they can survive financially for only three months or less under current conditions.
“The coronavirus pandemic presents a huge behavioral health challenge for an already-strained mental health system. Providers have got to have more funds to purchase PPE, ramp up telehealth services, meet increased needs – and even simply keep their doors open. This report lays out the challenges facing Nevada and communities across America. As Congress looks ahead to the work it needs to do to help America recover from the coronavirus pandemic, mental and behavioral health resources are going to be crucial in helping individuals, families, and communities get back on their feet, and we have to invest in them. At a time when half of Americans feel that the pandemic and its economic fallout are negatively affecting their mental health, we can’t afford to do otherwise.”
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