Sen. Padilla Announces Plans to Launch First-Ever Senate Mental Health Caucus

CALIFORNIA— Amidst a rise of anti-LGBTQ+ hate in California and across the country, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) June 28 met with local leaders, including Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and mental health professionals who work to provide holistic support, crisis intervention and mental health services to LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco. During the visit, Padilla held a roundtable discussion to hear the mental health concerns of LGBTQ+ youth and the community as he prepares to launch the Senate Mental Health Caucus.

“LGBTQ+ youth are struggling under the weight of a rise in hateful rhetoric and political attacks—with nearly a third of the community saying their mental health is negatively affected by hostile legislation. My visit to the SF LGBT Center today proves that our work to address the youth mental health crisis isn’t just important, it’s lifesaving,” Senator Padilla said. “As we lay the groundwork to launch the first-ever Senate Mental Health Caucus, the conversations I heard today provide valuable feedback to take back to Congress as we craft legislation that addresses mental health challenges. It’s clear that there is a severe need for mental health support, and I’ll continue working to increase mental health resources and end the stigma that surrounds it.”

Senator Padilla is working with the National Association for Mental Illness or NAMI, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or AFSP and a bi-partisan group of senators to launch the Caucus. The Senate Mental Health Caucus will serve as a bipartisan forum where Senators can work together to elevate mental health issues as a national priority by holding informational briefings to pursue common legislative goals and raise awareness of important mental health issues. It will aim to inform and educate Senators in order to remove stigma, increase access to mental health services, improve workplace mental health, and ensure veterans, servicemembers and their families receive access to comprehensive mental health services.