News Mashup for February 2022
Congress Buzzing with Children’s Mental Health Agendas
A survey by The Harris Poll released by Inseparable this month indicates that children’s mental health is a bi-partisan issue—and voters want legislators to do more to support it. According to the poll, only 22% of Americans think their state government is sufficiently supporting youth mental health and only 18% think it of the Feds.
It appears that legislators are getting the message.
Inside The Beltway, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing this month on America’s mental health crisis, as did the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The Senate Finance Committee met on issues related to workforce scarcity, access to care, mental health parity, and telehealth. The chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee called for hearings on a comprehensive mental health package.
Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act on 02.17.22, which would authorize Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funding for mental health evaluation, planning, programming, and suicide prevention strategies in K-12 schools. Another mental health measure, the Kids Online Safety Act, was introduced by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on 02.16.22 to provide kids and parents with tools, safeguards, and the transparency needed to protect children’s health and well-being online.
In California, the Behavioral Health Workforce Revitalization Act (Senate Bill 964) was introduced by Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) on 02.09.22 in an effort to strengthen the state’s mental health workforce. If enacted, a Behavioral Health Workforce Preservation and Restoration Fund would be created to provide hiring incentives, salary increases, performance-based bonuses, overtime compensation, and hazardous duty pay for behavioral health workers. The bill also contains provisions to award student stipends to those enrolled in MSW programs for public behavioral health. Click on the links below to learn more.
Hopeful Futures Campaign. February 2022. Public perceptions of mental health. [Survey] Inseparable. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://hopefulfutures.us/research/ .
Sandhya Raman. February 1, 2022. Senate begins work on bipartisan mental health package. Roll Call. Retrieved February 22, 2022 from https://rollcall.com/2022/02/01/senate-begins-work-on-bipartisan-mental-health-package/ .
Steinberg Institute. February 10, 2022. Senator Wiener introduces major mental health workforce legislation. [Press Release] Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://steinberginstitute.org/senator-wiener-introduces-major-mental-health-workforce-legislation/ .
Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Wilson. February 13, 2022. Mental health push in Congress sparks lobbying frenzy. Politico. Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/13/mental-health-pandemic-congress-lobbying-00008372 .
Issie Lapowsky. February 16, 2022. The Senate's big online safety bill for kids is finally here. Protocol. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/senate-kids-online-safety-act .
Office of Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senate. February 16, 2022. Blumenthal & Blackburn introduce comprehensive kids' online safety legislation. [Press Release] Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-blackburn-introduce-comprehensive-kids-online-safety-legislation .
Office of Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate. February 17, 2022. Rosen, Murkowski introduce bipartisan bill to address K-12 student mental health crisis. [Press Release] Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/rosen-murkowski-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-address-k-12-student-mental-health-crisis .
Katie Deighton. February 18, 2022. Silicon Valley faces pressure to redesign children’s online experience. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-faces-pressure-to-redesign-childrens-online-experience-11645227819 .
Office of Jacky Rosen, U.S. Senate. February 24, 2022. The time to address the student mental health crisis is now. The Hill. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/595650-the-time-to-address-the-student-mental-health-crisis-is-now .
Sarah Corcoran. February 28, 2022. Beltway update: Historic congressional focus on mental health. MindSite News. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://mindsitenews.org/2022/02/28/beltway-update-historic-congressional-focus-on-mental-health/ .
U.S. Department of Labor. January 25, 2022. US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Treasury issue 2022 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act report to Congress. [News Release] Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20220125 .
Child Health and Welfare Professionals Denounce Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills
In an open letter dated February 15, a coalition of 20 organizations serving the medical, educational, and developmental needs of youth called on state lawmakers to back away from recent discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. The signatories, which represent more than 7 million youth-serving professionals, say that “since state legislatures began meeting this year, we have already seen more than 90 bills introduced seeking to deny transgender youths access to gender-affirming medical treatment, preventing them from participating in sports teams consistent with their gender identity and denying access to sex-segregated spaces that include restrooms and locker rooms.”
The signatories argue that LGBTQ+ youth are particularly vulnerable to depression and self-harming, including suicide, and research confirms that gender-affirming services and affirmation reduce the risk of poor mental health outcomes.
A January 2022 poll by The Trevor Project shows that the majority of LGBTQ+ youth are finding that the recent legislative assault is negatively affecting their mental health. Click on the links below to learn more.
Delphine Luneau. February 15, 2022. Nation’s leading child health and welfare groups denounce anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures. Human Rights Campaign. [Press Release] Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/nations-leading-child-health-and-welfare-groups-denounce-anti-lgbtq-bills-in-state-legislatures .
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others. February 15, 2022. Open Letter. Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/National-Sign-On-Letter-Feb-24.pdf .
Ariane Resnick. February 14, 2022. Dismantling barriers to LGBTQ+ mental healthcare. Verywell Mind. Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://www.verywellmind.com/dismantling-barriers-to-lgbtq-mental-healthcare-5215843 .
Sharita Gruberg. February 25, 2022. States' anti-LGBTQ+ attacks underscore need for the Equality Act. The Hill. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/595903-states-anti-lgbtqi-attacks-underscore-need-for-the-equality-act .
Sandy West. February 26, 2022. Targeted by politicians, trans youth struggle with growing fear and mental health concerns. The Detroit News. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/26/targeted-politicians-trans-youth-struggle-fear-mental-health/6938762001/ .
The Trevor Project. January 2022. Issues impacting LGBTQ youth. Morning Consult. Retrieved February 28, 2021 from https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TrevorProject_Public1.pdf .
Schools Earn Poor Marks for Mental Health Policy
This month, under the banner of the Hopeful Futures Campaign, a consortium of youth advocacy organizations released the first-ever, state-by-state assessment of school mental health policy. Using a zero-to-three “grading” system (0 for limited or no progress; 3 for substantial progress), all 50 states and the District of Columbia were evaluated with respect to: Access to mental health professionals; School-family-community partnerships; Teacher staff training; Funding support; Well-being checks; Heathy school climate; Skills for life success; and Mental health curriculum.
Only 7 states achieved 50% or more of the point maximum (24)— Colorado (14), Illinois (13), Nevada (13), Washington (13), Maryland (12), New Hampshire (12) and North Carolina (12). Discussing the results with reporters from MindSite News, Angela Kimball, senior vice president for advocacy and public policy at Inseparable, lamented “enormous gaps in every state, which are leaving our children shortchanged.” Click on the links below to learn more.
Hopeful Futures. February 2022. America’s school mental health report card. Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://hopefulfutures.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Final_Master_021522.pdf .
Alia Wong. February 16, 2022. US schools failing in fight against youth mental health crisis, new report card finds. USA Today. Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/02/16/youth-mental-health-crisis-schools/6803515001/ .
Rhitu Chatterjee. February 16, 2022. State by state, here's how well schools are doing at supporting kids' mental health. NPR KQED. Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/16/1080863226/state-by-state-heres-how-well-schools-are-doing-at-supporting-kids-mental-health .
Meryl Davids Landau. February 16, 2022. Schools earn poor marks when it comes to kids’ mental health. MindSite News. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://mindsitenews.org/2022/02/16/schools-earn-poor-marks-when-it-comes-to-kids-mental-health-2/ .
Carolyn Jones. February 18, 2022. Peer counseling gains popularity as California schools beef up student mental health services. EdSource. Retrieved February 27, 2022 from https://edsource.org/2022/peer-counseling-gains-popularity-as-california-schools-beef-up-student-mental-health-services/667792 .
Melissa Kay Diliberti and Heather L. Schwartz. February 2022. District leaders' concerns about mental health and political polarization in schools: Selected findings from the fourth American School District Panel Survey. RAND Corporation. Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-8.html .
CDC Analysis of Children’s Mental Health
This month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released an analysis of 2013–2019 data from nine federal surveillance systems that monitor mental health indicators among youth age 3-17 years.
The report provides national prevalence estimates on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; depression; anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; Tourette syndrome; substance use disorder; suicide; and treatment. Prevalence data are linked to sociodemographic characteristics of age, sex, race and ethnicity, economic resources, parent education, access to health insurance, and geography.
Overall, the analysis confirms previous CDC findings based on 2005-2011 data, namely, children’s mental health continues to be a substantial public health concern. Click on the links below to learn more.
Rebecca H. Bitsko, Angelika H. Claussen, and others. February 17, 2022. Mental health surveillance among children — United States, 2013–2019. Centers for Disease Control: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Supplement. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7102a1.htm .
Erika Edwards. February 24, 2022. Anxiety, depression rampant among children even before the pandemic. NBC News. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/anxiety-depression-rampant-children-even-pandemic-rcna17545 .
Ruth Perou, Rebecca H Bitsko, and others. May 17, 2013. Mental health surveillance among children — United States, 2005-2011. Centers for Disease Control: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Supplement. Retrieved February 28, 2022 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23677130/ .
More Stories in February: Santa Clara County considered building a mental health facility instead of a new jail: It chose the jail KQED — 02.02.2022; She grew up in foster care: Now this Latina trailblazer opens doors in California colleges Fresno Bee — 02.16.2022; Liaisons play pivotal role in connecting California homeless children to services EdSource — 02.16.2022; Private equity's latest play: The troubled kids industry Medscape — 02.16.2022; What American mental health care is missing The Atlantic — February 13, 2022; Why ‘trauma-informed’ care is spreading from the therapist’s office to yoga classes and tattoo parlors The Washington Post — 02.21.2022; How adults can help youth avoid violence, maintain mental health EdSource — 02.28.2022; Supreme Court will hear Indian Child Welfare Act case The Imprint — 02.28.2022; Welfare is no substitute for a child tax credit ProPublica 02.15.2022; The great collide: The impact of children’s mental health on the workforce Newswise — 02.22.2022; Youth supporting youth Children’s Trust — 02.01.2022; Changing the beat of mental health Communities United — 02.22.2022; What happened after LA schools cut police funds and hired mental health staff for black students Capital B — 02.22.2022; A family’s struggle to care for son’s autism reveals gaps in Mental Health Parity Laws MindSite News — 02.13.2022; Years after federal directive, states expand autism coverage disabilityscoop — 02.14.2022; Preventive action is needed to reduce youth homelessness American Bar Association Journal — 02.14.2022.
