Senator Murray is fighting to secure $500,000 for the City of Tacoma to support their municipal therapeutic courts and $2,000,000 for HopeSparks to expand pediatric medical and behavioral health care.
Senador Murray: “It’s going to take all of us—working together at every level of government—to make real progress when it comes to providing the kind of mental health care our communities need.”
***PHOTOS of today’s event AQUÍ***
Tacoma, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, met with local leaders and advocates in Tacoma to discuss local and federal partnerships around mental and behavioral health care. In particular, while Senator Murray is fighting to protect key national investments in mental health at the federal level, she is also working to secure $500,000 for the City of Tacoma to support their municipal therapeutic courts and $2,000,000 for HopeSparks Family Services to expand pediatric medical and behavioral health care. At the conclusion of the discussion, Senator Murray also toured a mobile unit of the Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement (HOPE) program.
During today’s roundtable discussion, Senator Murray was joined by John Hines, Deputy Mayor of Tacoma; Joseph Le Roy, President and CEO of HopeSparks Family Services; Ashley Mangum, Director of Kids’ Mental Health Pierce; Aleesia Morales, Co-Director of the HOPE program; Cassie Hallstone, Co-Director of the HOPE program; Dee A. Sonntag, Tacoma Municipal Court Judge; and Drew Ann Henke, Tacoma Municipal Court Presiding Judge.
“There is no question that our nation is facing a mental health crisis and it’s a priority for me to not only strengthen federal investments in mental health at the national level but to support the important work happening on the ground in communities like Tacoma,” dijo el senador Murray. “It’s going to take all of us—working together at every level of government—to make real progress when it comes to providing the kind of mental health care our communities need. I’ll be taking the stories and perspectives from today’s discussion back with me to the Other Washington as I negotiate our spending bills for this year and fight to protect our investments in mental health.”
In contrast to the extreme cuts proposed by House Republicans, Senator Murray fought hard to fortalecer funding for mental health in the Senate funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024 that passed out of committee—Murray is currently working to protect federal investments in mental health as she negotiates final FY24 government spending bills with her colleagues in the Senate and House.
“We are working to get upstream and prevent the mental health crisis before it happens. By funding fully integrated healthcare for kids and families, we begin to change the trajectory one story at a time. Imagine a world where every child has access to a care team from day one, that includes a mental health professional, that is what we are doing here. We cannot thank Senator Murray enough for her investment in this life saving work,” said Joe Le Roy, CEO of HopeSparks.
“In the past few years, we have seen how critical it is to ensure a wide range of mental and behavioral health resources are available for our community,” said City of Tacoma Deputy Mayor John Hines. “I am proud of our work in Tacoma to ensure our residents have access to these types of resources— especially during moments of crisis—because I believe that they promote well-being, accountability, and safety. Models like our new HOPE team are vital for ensuring people receive the assistance that best matches their needs, and I have been thrilled to see how our community has rallied in support of this work. Like many other cities across our country, we have shown we are committed to greater focus on how we can best support mental and behavioral health. At the same time, we recognize we cannot do it alone, and look forward to working together with our state and federal partners.”
In her role as former Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Senator Murray iniciado a legislative initiative last Congress and worked with her colleagues to craft a paquete bipartidista to address the nation’s mental health and substance use disorder crises, and challenges like the rise of fentanyl and the sharp uptick in youth mental health emergencies. She led negotiations on the health package and passed it into law as a part of the omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2023, which was signed into law in December 2022. Among other things, the bipartisan legislation Senator Murray negotiated and passed into law:
- Strengthens the new 988 lifeline;
- Supports screening and treatment for maternal mental health and substance use disorders;
- Builds and maintains the mental health and substance use disorder workforce;
- Understands and addresses mental health challenges kids are dealing with;
- Bolsters suicide prevention work and states’ opioid crisis response efforts;
- Increases access to substance use disorder treatment and overdose reversal medication;
- Provides better support to Tribes’ efforts to address mental health and substance use disorders.
As former Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (LHHS), Senator Murray secured significant funding increases in the Fiscal Year 2023 spending bills to implement the new provisions she secured in the health package and help communities address the mental health and substance use disorder crises, including:
- $501.6 millones, un aumento de casi $400 millones, para que la Línea de Vida para la Prevención del Suicidio haga una transición exitosa a 988;
- $370 millones adicionales para tratamiento de salud mental a través de la Administración de Servicios de Salud Mental y Abuso de Sustancias; y
- $345 millones más para abordar el abuso de opioides, un total de $5 mil millones en total.
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