Political Quotes

“This morning, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and I outlined a vision for real bipartisan mental health reform. Our legislation will have some differences but also many similarities. Both will fix the shortage of psychiatric beds; get more mental health workers, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to help; integrate physical and mental health care; fix the rule which says severely mentally ill patients on Medicaid can't see two doctors on the same day; and better coordinate the staggering 112 Federal agencies that deal with severe mental illness. My bill, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, will also allow treatment before tragedy. During the trial of the former marine who killed Iraq war veteran Chris Kyle, the mother of the defendant begged VA doctors to keep her son in psychiatric treatment just days before he shot and killed the decorated sharpshooter. The reality is the system doesn't respond until after a crisis has occurred, because the only way to get treatment is if the individual is imminently homicidal or suicidal. We have to fix those problems. We must correct HIPAA so families can help their loved ones get well. We must act now before another 40,000 die by suicide, before thousands more end up in jail, homeless, or victims of crime, and before more families suffer. I invite Democrats and Republicans to join me as I reintroduce the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. ____________________”