H.R. 1109, also known as the Mental Health Services for Students Act, authored by Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano and coauthored by Rep. John Katko (R-NY-24), recently passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously.
In the press release Napolitano states, “While schools work to navigate this pandemic, it is vital that we provide them with the resources to create a mental health plan to reach their students during this stressful time. Together we must continue to increase mental health awareness, reduce harmful stigma, and connect our future leaders to life-saving care. Today’s passage of the Mental Health Services for Students Act is a critical step toward addressing these urgent needs. I thank the Energy and Commerce Committee for moving our bill forward, and we hope it comes to the floor soon for consideration by the full House.”
The bill creates a total of $130 million in grant funding for schools across the country to partner with local mental health professionals to establish comprehensive mental health services for students. Pacific Clinics was the one of the mental health providers to implement a pilot for the program, and serves as a model in the future.
Learn more about Pacific Clinics’ school-based program on pg 11.
