May is Mental Health Month, and we’re here to raise awareness.
Mental Health Month is supposed to raise awareness of teh trauma and impact that people with mental health illnesses can have physically, emotionally, and even mentally.
Established in 1949, Mental Health Month has been used to increase awareness, importance, and celebration of recovery in Americans’ lives.
Mental Health is essential for anyone’s everyday life and overall health. In the past 20 years, the efforts to increase understanding of prevention and treatment, by the Substance Abuse adn Mental Health Service Administration as well as others within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Government, have significantly improved the outlook on mental illnesses nationally. This is seen through:
– The Affordable Care Act expanded health insurance coverage to about 30 million Americans by 2016, including about 11 million people who became eligible for substance abuse and/or mental health services.
– The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008 eliminated the practice of unequal health treatment. It also improved access to mental health and substance use disorder treatments.
– The Community Mental Health Service Block Grant allows states to offer comprehensive community-based mental health services.
– The Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Suicide Prevention Program coordinates the development, implementation, and evaluation of youth suicide prevention and early intervention plans in youth-serving institutes, like schools, juvenile justice systems, and foster care systems.
– And so much more