That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that in order to effectively address the high prevalence of those suffering from mental health conditions and substance use disorders, the United States needs to make historic financial investments into mental health and substance use disorder care and finally acknowledge such care as a priority in health care, equal to physical health, and recognize that—
mental health and physical health need to be treated together to treat the whole patient;
patient care needs to be patient-focused;
mental health and substance use disorder care needs to be proactive and treat people before they are in crisis;
any stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders is completely unwarranted and serves as a barrier to care;
the Federal Government needs to create a comprehensive approach to improving the health care system that incorporates mental health and substance use disorders that includes system reform that—
aims to break down silos across the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels for improved communication and care coordination;
provides a Federal framework to States, localities, and Tribes that connects agencies and services so they can have guidance when working to address the mental health and substance use disorder needs of their communities;
incentivizes providers to see both more complex and less complex patients and to see patients in rural and underserved areas;
expects insurers to comply with parity laws and holds them accountable for not providing parity of mental health and substance use disorder services and treatments; and
requires both public and private payers to have higher reimbursement rates for mental health and substance use disorder services that are on par with medical and surgical services;
the Federal Government needs to create a comprehensive approach to improving the health care system that incorporates mental health and substance use disorders that includes system improvements that—
focuses on early screenings, diagnosis, and intervention across the care continuum to prevent those from experiencing a mental health crisis;
improves families’ ability to access timely, affordable, and high-quality treatment and services;
strengthens mental health and substance use disorder services in schools and ensures there is engagement from all stakeholders;
improves and expands community-based services so people have access to services locally;
improves care coordination across treatment settings so patients have the services they need when they need it and do not need to navigate the system themselves;
promotes a sustained recovery that includes social determinants of health, such as housing, jobs, and childcare;
can adjust to meet the needs of each individual to provide the best care for each person;
ensures seamless transitions in care when moving through steps or processes;
ends the criminalization of mental illness and substance use disorders and increases programs for diversion that connects individuals to treatment, social supports, and social services;
provides access to high-quality and evidence-based mental health and substance use disorder care for those who are incarcerated;
creates young adult services and programs within the justice system for those who are ages 18 to 25 to successfully reduce recidivism and that are informed by neuropsychological brain science;
incorporates apprenticeship or job training programs into the justice system, particularly for youth, to empower them and reduce recidivism;
ensures cultural congruence so everyone in need of mental health and substance use disorder care has services that meet their needs;
adopts a population health approach as a tool to help address ongoing disparities in access to mental health and substance use disorder care by youth and adults of color;
ensures that LGBTQ individuals, communities of color, and immigrants have access to mental health and substance use disorder services that are culturally appropriate, are in the necessary language, and address any unique stigma from their communities;
enables veterans to access timely mental health and substance use disorder care that ensures continuity and is free of any administrative burdens;
includes training for educators, first responders, and clinicians to identify indicators of mental health conditions and substance use disorders and to reduce stigma and bias related to these conditions so they can respond in a more productive way and connect people with more appropriate services;
supports health care providers by addressing their mental health and substance use disorder needs to reduce burnout;
provides a process in which States can work with other States to reconcile licensure and certification for and reimbursement to mental health and substance use disorder providers across State lines for the purpose of telemedicine;
leverages the current mental health and substance use disorder workforce by reducing administrative burdens to allow mental health and substance use disorder providers to perform to their highest level of licensure and certification; and
expands training opportunities and grows the workforce by partnering with schools and programs to provide free education to those who work in rural or underserved areas;
expanded access to mental health and substance use disorder care is essential to improving health and well-being;
all Americans deserve access to mental health and substance use disorder care without any barriers, such as cost or location of services; and
the United States needs to comprehensively break down all barriers to receiving access to mental health and substance use disorder care including financial burdens and location hurdles.