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The House passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 to help provide and support lifesaving care to Americans suffering from mental illness or substance abuse disorders.
Included in the package are two bipartisan efforts Rep. Kim helped introduce:
- The Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Memorial Act, which would support community-based youth and young adult suicide prevention efforts, and;
- The Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health (MMH) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Act of 2022, which provides targeted investments to improve outcomes for the screening and treatment of maternal mental health and substance use disorders and creates a maternal mental health hotline.
“With over 100 drug overdoses and 132 suicides committed every single day, it’s clear we have reached crisis mental health levels in our communities. Urgent problems require urgent action,” said Kim. “I’m grateful to my colleagues for coming together in a meaningful way to help address this devastating mental health crisis, and I’m proud that the Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health Act and the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act were included to support some our most vulnerable, as mental health is the most common complication of pregnancy and suicide and overdose are leading causes of death for postpartum women. I will always fight for the public health and wellbeing of Southern California communities.”
The Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 would:
- Help states and communities provide early intervention, comprehensive treatment, and recovery services for children and adults with substance use and mental health disorders;
- Support programs that help infant and early childhood mental health development, the severely mentally ill and those facing homelessness;
- Close gaps in substance abuse and mental health treatment options;
- Protect religious organizations’ ability to apply for grant funding on equal footing while continuing their religious missions; and,
- Reduce the deficit by a net $200 million from fiscal 2022 through 2032.
Rep. Kim spoke on the House floor in support of this package to help address the mental health needs of our communities. Watch here.
