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Mental Health America Blog
Mental Health America Blog - Chiming In
By: Nathaniel Counts, J.D. MHA Senior Director of Policy, and Debbie Plotnick, MSS, MLSP, MHA Vice President of Mental Health and Systems Advocacy
A new year, a new Administration, and a new Congress brings new opportunities to best attend to our nation’s mental health. This year, in addition to working with Congress on the pressing issues around health care and social services that surface, Mental Health America (MHA) will have four areas of focus:
- Prevention for All. Too many children are being expelled from preschools and child care. MHA...
By: Paul Gionfriddo, MHA president and CEO
It is fair to say that a year ago, few people thought we’d be celebrating mental health reform as part of the last major legislation signed by President Obama. There were so many outstanding issues to resolve, and many on both sides appeared to have dug in their heels.
But Congress did come through, due both to the dogged determination of a few key legislators, like Tim Murphy in the House and Chris Murphy in the Senate, and to the willingness of members of both parties and both chambers to find common ground.
What...
By: Paul Gionfriddo, MHA president and CEO
To contain costs, President-Elect Donald Trump has suggested replacing Obamacare with a package of benefits that might include:
- Permitting Insurance to be sold across state lines
- Retention of the mandate covering pre-existing conditions
- Allowing young people to remain on parents’ insurance
- Creating high-risk pools to provide insurance to people...
By: America Paredes, Senior Director of Partnerships and Community Outreach
The last 48 hours have been shocking for many, to say the least. Many of you are fearful of what comes next. We understand. We hear you.
In light of the election results, many individuals have reached out to us and shared their concern, anxiety, and despair about the impact that the next four years and beyond may have on the lives of individuals that are part of any community that is deemed as “other.”
We recognize that these feelings are natural reactions, as similar and valid, as...
By: Kelly Davis, MHA Policy and Programs Associate and Theresa Nguyen, MHA Senior Director of Policy and Programs
Every year around Halloween we see a recurring rise of haunted asylums, straight jacket “psycho” costumes, and costumes depicting suicide. At MHA, we’ve called for the removal of offensive costumes and attractions, and to draw attention to why these...
By: Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO, Mental Health America
From the time Mental Health America launched our online mental health screening program in 2014, we have asked screeners what they want. Their most frequent response? “Help.”
We’ve been thinking a a lot about what screeners need and how we can most effectively provide them help. But what do they mean by “help?” And does the meaning change based on who is answering the question?
As we approach two million screeners, we have a pretty good idea about what tools our help-seeking screeners are...
By Paul Gionfriddo, President and CEO
Tulsa, Milwaukee, Charlotte…
North Charleston, Ferguson, Baltimore…
Orlando, Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights…
These are communities forever linked by acts of violence, where in nearly every instance, a person attempting to preserve the peace of the moment lost a life.
These events are the sources of daily headlines, focusing on seemingly unchecked violence and unrest in America. Emotions are high, and finger pointing from all sides is ongoing. But as we try to comprehend and understand what is happening...
By: Nathaniel Counts, J.D., MHA Director of Policy and Kelly Davis, MHA Policy and Programs Associate
When you have your first child, you go to classes throughout your pregnancy. The classes help you feel as comfortable as you can be on the big day. But then the classes stop. You might have made it through pregnancy, but now you suddenly have a baby to take care of – and most parents would tell you that this is hardly the easiest part.
So why do the classes stop when the baby is born? Why don’t we equip people for one of the most important jobs...
From Patrick Hendry, Vice President of Peer Advocacy, Supports & Services
phendry@mentalhealthamerica.net
One of the leading criticisms about MHA creating a national certified peer specialist credential is that many people feel this should be done by a peer-run organization. Unfortunately, no peer-run organization has taken on this challenge yet. While MHA National is not...
Mental Health America mourns the victims in the tragic shootings in Orlando, Florida at Pulse Orlando Night Club. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, victims and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event. Terrorism and hate crimes have no place in any modern society, and we applaud so many of our national leaders who have condemned them while pledging to support everyone victimized by trauma in the Orlando community and the nation as a whole.
After a harrowing event, such as the Orlando shootings,...
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