By Hope Shrum
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—A bipartisan group of U.S. senators including Todd Young of Indiana has reintroduced legislation to allocate more emergency funding for mental health and substance abuse services across the nation.
Young, R-Ind., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., sponsored the Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act, which would include an emergency authorization of $100 million to start or help existing programs offering mental health and substance abuse services in response to the pandemic.
These types of services include support groups, telephone helplines and websites, training programs, telehealth services and outreach services.
The act would help people connect with the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several organizations have endorsed the bill, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Counseling Association, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Emily Piper, executive director of government relations and contracting at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, said the foundation knew the need for mental health and substance abuse services was growing based on the statistics. Nearly 41% of people who responded to a Centers for Disease Control survey said they struggled with mental health issues related to the pandemic, and there has been a 41% increase in binge drinking among women across the country since last spring.
“I think that because it is a really bipartisan group of legislators that are coming together to introduce this legislation and advocate for it to be part of the next COVID relief package shows that no matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, mental health is important, and it’s underfunded and oftentimes can be left behind,†Piper said.
The senators’ legislation directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish a Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Network. These grants would go to eligible groups that offer appropriate mental health and addiction services, such as Native American tribes, qualified nonprofit organizations and health care providers.
The bill would also advise the Department of Health and Human Services to gather data to better understand the effects of the pandemic on mental health and addiction, then use that data to make recommendations on how to improve future response efforts.
Several telecommunication and online services offer free and confidential counseling. Here is a list of hotlines available 24 hours a day.
- Be Well Indiana: Text “HOME†to 741741 or call 211, enter your zip code and press 3 to speak with a trained counselor regarding stress, anxiety, loneliness or mental health strains due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline: Call 800-950-6264 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday or text “NAMI†to 741741.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration National Helpline: Call 800-662-HELP (4357) for referral and information services available in English and Spanish.
- Groups Recover Together: Call 888-512-2328 for help with opioid addiction.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255).
- Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation offers a variety of free online recovery resources here.
Hope Shrum is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
