Padilla, Tillis Pass Bipartisan Resolution to Combat the National Crisis in Children’s Mental Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-founders of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, July 26 passed a Senate resolution to raise the alarm about the mental health care crisis American children face and highlight the urgent need to increase our investment in mental health care for children and adolescents.
During the past few decades, mental health disorders have steadily risen among children and adolescents, with nearly half of adolescents in the United States facing a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. Youth mental health has become a major public health concern: suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-olds in the United States. Many children and adolescents in rural or underserved areas lack appropriate mental health care infrastructure to meet their needs.
“As the father of three school-aged boys, I’ve witnessed firsthand the struggles that young Americans experience every day,” said Senator Padilla. “Our country is facing a children’s mental health crisis, and I’m proud to see the Senate come together unanimously to say we need to step up and speak up to find bipartisan solutions to address it head on. Our resolution recognizes the urgent need to provide America’s youth with accessible, humane mental health care — because no one should be forced to suffer in silence.”
Specifically, the resolution expresses the need for the federal government to work collaboratively to increase awareness of mental health disorders for children and adolescents and promote evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. The resolution also highlights the need to empower rural and underserved communities with adequate mental health resources for young people. The Senators encouraged states to adopt community-based mental health care, reaffirming their commitment to destigmatizing mental health challenges.
Details: Full text of the resolution is available here.
County Revamps 24/7 Helpline to Provide Integrated Mental Health and Substance Use Support
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health or LACDMH and Public Health or DPH have centralized access to mental health and substance use services into one 24/7 call center at 800-854-7771.
As of July 9, residents reaching the call center will experience more streamlined menu options to better access mental health and substance use services across the county. Previously, residents needed to call two separate helplines — LACDMH’s 24/7 Help Line and DPH’s Substance Abuse Services Helpline or SASH. These 24/7 helplines are often the first point of contact for residents seeking wellbeing resources.
Now, when calling the centralized help line and selecting from more than a dozen languages, callers will have the opportunity to: “press 1” for crisis and mental health resources; “press 2” for substance use disorder services; or “press 3” for veteran and military family support. Residents who call the SASH line at 844-804-7500 will hear a message informing them of the new number and will be automatically redirected.
Mental health issues and substance use disorders commonly occur together. According to the most recently published 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, more than one-third of adults aged 18 or older who had a mental illness in the past year also experienced a substance use disorder.
The centralization of services between LACDMH and DPH’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau is the first landmark in a long-term plan to enhance the consumer experience and streamline the California Department of Health Care Services’ oversight functions.