Bacon, McClellan, Hyde-Smith, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Address Mental Health Treatment Shortages

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and Don Bacon (NE-02) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) introduced legislation to address mental health and substance use disorder facility shortages during a growing mental health crisis.

About one in five American adults live with mental illness, and over 75 percent of adults who needed substance use treatment in the past year did not receive that care. From shortages in inpatient beds to intensive outpatient programs to behavioral health providers, treatment availability has not kept up with growing demand. As a consequence, many patients go without care or are boarded in emergency departments for days to weeks until psychiatric beds become available, which can have deeply harmful impacts on patient well-being. 

H.R. 3266, the Mental Health Infrastructure Improvement Act would:

• Establish a new loan and loan guarantee program within the Department of Health and Human Services to build or renovate mental health or substance use disorder treatment facilities.
• Reserve at least a quarter of the funding for pediatric- and adolescent-serving facilities.
• Prioritize facilities located in high need, underserved or rural areas and able to provide integrated care for patients with complex needs.

“At a time when one in every five U.S. adults report experiencing mental illness, we need to be investing in mental health care,” said Rep. Bacon. “The Mental Health Infrastructure Improvement Act will expand mental health infrastructure and ensure we have the capability to treat those experiencing a mental healthcrisis. There is a significant shortage of available treatment, and it is crucial that we address this gap.”

“We face a mental health crisis in this country, but have yet to meet that crisis with the necessary avenues of support that our neighbors, friends, and family members need to battle a mental health or substance use disorder,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Those bravely seeking support shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get it, and addressing these facility shortages now will help ensure that care is there when patients need it. I urge my colleagues to support the Mental Health Infrastructure Improvement Act to invest in our nation’s well-being and ensure every American, especially our nation’s youth and underserved communities, get the care they need.”

“This legislation recognizes that our nation faces a growing crisis in not having enough infrastructure and workforce to treat people with mental health and substance abuse disorders.  We struggle with this in Mississippi,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.  “Our goal is to use loans and loan guarantees to increase the number of facilities to provide quality mental health and substance abuse care, while lessening the burdens now placed on law enforcement and local hospitals.”

“Mental health care is essential health care,” said Senator Merkley. “This legislation is about ensuring that communities in Oregon and across the nation have the infrastructure they need to provide critical mentalhealth and substance use disorder services. By investing in mental health care facilities, we can make meaningful progress in addressing the mental health crisis affecting so many of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones.”

This legislation is endorsed by the American College of Emergency Physicians, American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Hospital Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association Services, Children’s Hospital Association, Clinical Social Work Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, National Association of Social Workers, National Rural HealthAssociation, The Trevor Project, and Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
 
Read the full bill text here. Read the one-pager here.

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