The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) have celebrated the establishment of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus in the U.S. Senate. Senators Alex Padilla (CA), Thom Tillis (NC), Joni Ernst (IA), and Tina Smith (MN) have founded this caucus to address the nation’s ongoing mental health crisis by seeking bipartisan, common-sense solutions.
NAMI’s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel H. Gillison Jr., emphasized the importance of mental health as a bipartisan issue and expressed gratitude to the founding Senators for their leadership on this critical matter. NAMI is excited about collaborating with the caucus to improve the lives of all individuals affected by mental health conditions.
The Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at AFSP, Laurel Stine, commended the Senators for launching the Senate Mental Health Caucus at a time when the nation is facing a mental health crisis affecting people across all age groups, with suicide ranking as the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. AFSP looks forward to working with the Caucus to raise awareness of mental health issues, promote bipartisan policy solutions, and reduce stigma, with the ultimate goal of improving mental health and preventing suicide.
The bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus serves as a forum where Senators and their staff can collaborate on mental health solutions, raise awareness of critical mental health issues, and reduce stigma. The Caucus focuses on various key objectives, including enhancing prevention and early intervention efforts, expanding the mental health professional workforce, improving crisis response services, and increasing access to evidence-based mental health treatment and common-sense solutions for all Americans.
NAMI and AFSP have expressed their readiness to work closely with the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus and encourage all members of the U.S. Senate to join this crucial initiative.
