Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced her cosponsorship of the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014 that makes significant improvements in prevention and treatment of mental health in response to calls across Tampa Bay and nationwide for a comprehensive strategy.

The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act would increase mental health funding for veterans and active-duty service members, create "mental health first aid" programs in schools and communities, and create a White House Office for Mental Health Policy to develop and implement a national strategy for mental health. The bill also aims to make hospital care more accessible to seniors with mental illness by requiring Medicare to treat mental health hospitalizations the same way as other hospitalizations by removing the 190-day lifetime cap on inpatient psychiatric care.

While jails and prisons have become major centers of care for individuals suffering from mental illness, these facilities do not have the appropriate staff or resources to identify and respond to individuals in crises. This legislation establishes a grant program through the U.S. Attorney General’s office to create crisis intervention teams that de-escalate situations involving those suffering from mental illness and providing them access to the proper treatment as an alternative to arrest. Similar teams have been established throughout the country, including in the Miami-Dade area.

The primary sponsor of Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities is U.S. Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ). On Jan. 8, 2011, then Chief-of-Staff Barber was standing beside U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as she held her Congress On Your Corner in Northwest Tucson. An assassin shot the congresswoman, Barber and 17 other people. Six of those people, including Giffords’ aide Gabe Zimmerman, were killed. Giffords and Barber were both critically wounded.

“The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act is comprehensive legislation to maximize access to mental health services, and improve prevention and treatment,” U.S. Rep. Castor said. “The Affordable Care Act greatly expanded access to prevention services and coverage for mental health, and Congress should now build on policies supported by the mental health community to continue advancing the overall health of Americans.”

The Affordable Care Act requires that plans offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace cover mental health and substance use disorder services. Because of the law, health plans must now cover preventive services like depression screening for adults and behavioral assessments for children at no cost.

“Just as important to bolstering existing efforts, this bill invests in the future quality of care for mental illness by investing in research and developing the behavioral health workforce that is already suffering critical shortages,” U.S. Rep. Castor added. Strengthening Mental Health in our Communities would fund additional research within the National Institute of Mental Health on serious mental illness, suicide prevention, and youth mental health. Plus, the bill would reauthorize important community partnerships under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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