Acclaimed actress Glenn Close joined Senator Debbie Stabenow (D – MI) in support for the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The bipartisan legislation is co-authored by Senator Roy Blunt (R – Missouri) and seeks to establish a criteria and provide additional funding for community mental health centers so that more people can have access to critical behavioral health care services.
As an advocate for mental health, Glenn Close stated, “It is critical that people come out and talk about mental illness to reduce the stigma surrounding those living with mental illness. This legislation is so important in the effort to expand access to mental health services and improve the quality of treatment available. With reduced stigma and discrimination, and increased access to quality care, people living with mental illness can get the treatment they need.”
After passing the Senate Finance Committee last week the Act has been attached as an amendment to another “must pass” bill regarding physicians’ payments. The original bill was co-sponsored by at least two dozen Senators and supported by more than 50 organizations, including notables such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council for Behavioral Healthcare, and many others. For many in the field, it is refreshing to see legislators from both major parties working together for the common purpose of helping Americans rather than trying to serve their own agendas.
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