Reps. Schrier, Miller-Meeks Lead Bipartisan Bill to Support Children’s Access To Mental Health Care
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA), the only two women doctors in Congress, have introduced the Supporting Children’s Mental Health Care Access Act, a bill to reauthorize funding for children’s mental and behavioral health programs. This bill would help address the children’s mental health care crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.
“As the first and only pediatrician in Congress, I have seen first-hand many of the challenges my patients faced. Whether conflict in the home, struggles at school, or loss of a loved one, children need a supportive health network they can turn to. Yet even before the pandemic began, children’s mental health care was already facing a shortage of school counselors and health professionals, leaving kids with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and more without the specialists they need,” said Rep. Schrier. “This crisis demands action now. By providing urgent funding to proven grant programs, we can give pediatricians the tools they need to identify youth at risk of developing mental health challenges and intervene early and effectively.”
“Over the last two years, schools across the country closed their doors and moved to virtual learning. The serious negative impact these closures had on our students is well-documented and must be treated seriously,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks. “As a physician, I know that care for mental health is important for every American, especially for those who are still developing. Reauthorizing the pediatric mental health care access grant program is an important step in ensuring that our students have equal access to quality mental health care.”
The legislation would provide funds to two important grant programs to support children’s mental health care. The Pediatric Mental Health Care Access grant will make sure that mental health issues are found during routine appointments and make sure pediatricians have the tools they need during routine visits. This program is utilized across the country, including in Washington state.
“This Pediatric Mental Health Care Access grant program starting in 2018 has already enabled my child psychiatrist team to provide on-demand consultation services to every primary care provider throughout the state of Alaska through a partnership with the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services,” said Robert Hilt, MD, Clinical Director of Partnership Access Line Services, Seattle Children’s. “Expanding funding for PMHCA will enable crucial support services to reach more children and families throughout our country.”
The second program, the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Promotion, Intervention, and Treatment grant focuses on early intervention for children who have experienced trauma or are at high risk for mental health challenges.
The legislation has the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Pediatricians are witnessing the escalating mental health crisis facing young people in our clinics, practices and hospitals across the country. Tackling this crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic, will require comprehensive action to ensure all children can access mental health services where they are, including schools and their pediatrician’s office. The Supporting Children’s Mental Health Care Access Act will reauthorize the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program and make needed progress toward reaching children and teens with the care and services they need. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) applauds Representatives Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) for their leadership on addressing youth mental health and calls on Congress to pass this critical legislation without delay,” said AAP President Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP.
This bill is introduced the same time a JAMA Pediatrics study was released, which found poor mental health conditions among children increasing steadily for the last five years. Programs like those in the Supporting Children’s Mental Health Care Access Act are an important part of the solution to keep our kids mentally healthy.