It is estimated that about 46% of American adults will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. In any one year, nearly 44 million Americans of all ages suffer from a diagnosable mental illness including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Each year, at least a quarter of all Americans also experience mood, anxiety, impulse-control or substance abuse disorders. Childhood mental illness often results in substance abuse and suicide attempts later in life. About 48,000 Americans commit suicide each year, including many of our veterans. Four times as many men as women choose to end their lives. Over 90% of these people suffer from either substance abuse or a treatable mental health disorder. Studies have shown that about 60% of women hospitalized for mental illness also have a history of trauma. The majority of women suffering from both substance abuse and mental health problems have been victims of rape, incest or physical or emotional abuse. And lastly, a least 49 of the 62 U.S. mass shooting suspects between 1982 and 2012 also suffered from mental illness.

Proposed Legislation: Reintroduction of S.2128 - Strengthening Medicaid for Serious Mental Illness Act (118th Congress 2023-2024)
Prospective Sponsor: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)

• I oppose reforming current mental health policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Leader John Thune (SD).
• I support allowing state Medicaid programs to cover intensive community-based services for adults with serious mental illnesses by providing for coverage of services that include:
  
  1.) Treatment services that are available 24/7, involve multidisciplinary care teams, and that are designed to improve outcomes for adults with mental illnesses who are at high risk of homelessness, psychiatric crisis, or hospitalization or who are involved in the criminal justice system.
  
  2.) Employment support, peer support, community-based mobile crisis intervention services, intensive case management, and housing support.
  
  3.) Providing funds for state planning grants with respect to such coverage and services.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.