Doris Matsui: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. For far too long, those with mental illness have been left in the shadows, and…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. For far too long, those with mental illness have been left in the shadows, and mental health prevention and treatment have been left out of our health systems. The mental health crisis in this country is very personal to me, and I have been fighting for patients and their loved ones for many years. I believe there is a lot we can do better to stop or slow down the hurt and pain that patients and families feel when mental health is left unaddressed. The bill before us today is a good bill. It is a first step toward mental health reform, offering policies that help move us in the direction of better parity between mental and physical illness, a stronger workforce trained to address mental illness, and promotion of evidence-based services and supports. Especially important to me are the provisions that will help clarify when and how providers are able to share information with families and caregivers in order to better serve the patients in times of need. There is more left to be done, more to do, and our reform efforts will not be complete or comprehensive until we make real investments in our mental health system. I will continue working for the comprehensive mental health reforms that our families need and deserve.”