Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) wrote an opinion letter on the topic of mental health reform for The Hill website earlier this week. Members of Congress, just like the American public they represent, have widely divergent views on how to approach meaningful mental health reform. We need more congressional representatives to share their views and engage with each other in constructive dialogue about how to address what most would agree is a broken mental health service delivery system.
Network readers are well-versed in our reporting of the efforts of Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) in his campaign for mental health reform through the Helping all Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. His tireless efforts spurred us on to engage in respectful dialoguewith advocates who have widely divergent views on how to approach meaningful mental health reform. The Children’s Mental Health Network will continue to press for mental health advocates to come together in dialogue. We are hopeful that members of Congress who have differing perspectives on how to approach mental health reform will do the same.
I encourage you to read Representative Tonko’s post (included below) and then ask your Representative to write an opinion article of their own, sharing their thoughts on the challenge of meaningful mental health reform. We need more members of Congress actively engaged in the dialogue.
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