Federal legislation would help address states' mental health challenges

BY LAURA BOYD Published: July 20, 2013



Government-funded mental health services are the bedrock of our nation's mental health care system. Federal and state funding determine our ability to provide the help needed so desperately by so many. One opportunity to address this need is the Excellence in Mental Health Act, a bipartisan bill in Congress.


This act would ensure that community behavioral health centers cover a range of mental health and addiction services: 24-hour crisis care, increased integration of physical and behavioral health needs and expanded support for the beleaguered families of people with mental health issues. The bill would provide care for as many as 1.5 million Americans living with mental illness, including an estimated 200,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with behavioral health needs.

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