inseparable

@RepAdamSmith Thank you for your leadership on mental health!

I’ve long supported crisis care centers in Washington and am proud to see a third mental health crisis center begin operating in South King County. Building a strong behavioral health system with a wide safety net helps ensure Washingtonians can access care from qualified specialists when they need it most. I’ve introduced legislation to expand access to one-stop crisis stabilization centers that provide health services and additional support under one roof—just like this facility. This is great news for our community. seattletimes.com/seattle-news/m…

Yesterday, @GovCox signed HB71 into law. The Health Provider Directory and Access Amendments requires insurers to provide timely access to behavioral health services, identify out-of-network providers when in-network providers aren't available, and maintain up-to-date provider directories. This is a momentous step forward for mental health care access in Utah — a state that helped inspire the 988 crisis line, contacted nearly 22 million times since 2022. Thank you to @steveeliason & Sen. Kirk Cullimore for advancing this critical legislation. Millions still lack access to care, but Utah is giving us proven models to expand nationwide

Mental Health Minute Episode 6 : 🧠💚 Inseparable just released The Workforce Report: Bridging the Mental Health Gap, which dives into the state of the mental health workforce. Be sure to view the full report on our website, and let us know what you think down below 👇 🔗 ow.ly/2ZT250Ywyv9

Insurance companies have been required to cover mental health the same as physical health for nearly two decades, but in most states, enforcement hasn't kept pace, and real-world access hasn't matched the law. Virginia just passed SB524 and sent it to the Governor to close that gap.

When athletes step off the field and into advocacy, people pay attention. Oregon QB @dantemoore05 wrote to @GovTinaKotek urging protection of virtual mental health services because suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young adults in Oregon. Share your story. 👉 insact.us/story

@AGOWA We appreciate your continued fight for school mental health grants!

AG Nick Brown and 15 other state attorneys general have filed a motion asking a federal court to enforce its previous order requiring the U.S. Department of Education to reverse the unlawful discontinuation of congressionally approved school mental health grants. The programs aim to address the shortage of school-based mental health service providers and have been shown to decrease absenteeism and increase positive student-staff engagement. Despite that success, grantees continue to face uncertainty as the department fails to follow a federal judge’s order in December declaring the discontinuations unlawful. Learn more here: ow.ly/VAPW50YvYA1

A general crisis line and one staffed by people who understand your experience are not the same thing. After federal changes eliminated LGBTQ+ specialized services from 988, Washington stepped up. The state budget passed by the legislature includes funding for the state to support LGBTQ+-specific crisis care and train counselors to serve LGBTQ+ youth. 🙌

America’s youth mental health crisis is real. ➡️ 1 in 5 youth experienced major depression in 2024 ➡️ Over half didn’t receive treatment ➡️ Schools lack half the mental health professionals students need Congress must act. 📩 Urge your representative to fund school mental health grants: insact.us/cta

Two bills we've been fighting for are just one step from becoming law. 🙌 Utah just passed HB71 (ghost networks) and HB339 (street medicine) — two big wins for mental health access. Next stop: Governor Cox's desk.

Read the Becker's article here: beckersbehavioralhealth.com/research-analy…

Read the Substack article here: mentalhealth411.substack.com/p/the-mental-h…

Our Workforce Report is out — and the conversation is growing. Nearly half of people with a mental health condition in the U.S. receive no treatment. In part because they can’t get an appointment. Read what @BeckersHR and @miller7 had to say about it below.

Two bills just passed the Washington legislature, and together they could reshape how the state shows up for young people's mental health. HB 2429 makes Washington Thriving the state's official plan from before birth through age 25. SB 1634 makes sure the schools where kids spend most of their time have the support to match. Both are headed to the governor's desk. 💚

Three bills passed the General Assembly in one week. Virginia just delivered a sweep. 🙌 Each of these bills closes a real gap, and together, they start to look like a system. This is what progress looks like!

Health insurance premiums. Appointment wait times. Surprise bill. Appeals process.

144 million Americans live in mental health provider shortage areas. Today we're releasing The Workforce Report: Bridging the Mental Health Gap — our report on mental health workforce shortages and what it'll take to fix it. Your community is in these numbers. Be a part of closing the gap — send our new Workforce Report to your legislators and governor today. insact.us/workforce Explore our findings: inseparable.us/workforce

The NJ Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. Stephen Cha as the next Commissioner of Human Services and he came to his hearing ready! He committed to 988 crisis services, Medicaid-funded behavioral health, and better oversight for youth residential settings. For families pushed into ERs just to access mental health care, that's not a small thing. So important for our leaders to champion mental health. 🙌

Someone is looking for a therapist right now and hitting a wall. Not because providers don't exist, but because the system between them and care is full of friction. Two states just moved to make it easier. In Colorado, the House passed HB 26-1002, a bill that tackles three reasons people can't get help: inaccurate provider directories, slow credentialing, and a system that makes it hard for new therapists to afford entering the field. In Florida, the House voted 115-0 on HB13, a bill that would let licensed social workers see patients across state lines via telehealth. Thank you to the sponsors pushing these forward: @KyleBrownHD12 & @LindsGilchrist and Sens. Matt Ball & @commish_pelton in CO. @RepHunschofsky and @Gayle_Harrell in FL. Neither bill is law yet, but both are moving, and both point in the same direction: making it easier for people who need mental health care to actually get it.

Mental Health Minute Episode 5 🧠 💚 Legislators in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Georgia, and Virginia are taking major action on mental health. Drop the good mental health news from your state down below 👇

Thank you to Speaker Jon Burns (@JonBurnsGA), Approps Chair Matt Hatchett (@JMattHatchett), Senate President Larry Walker, Senate Approps Chair Blake Tillery (@BlakeTillery), Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (@LtGovJonesGA), and OPB Director Rick Dunn.

A budget is a statement of values. Georgia's just said student mental health is worth investing in. Governor Kemp signed HB 973, putting $3.4 million toward school-based social workers and mental health grants. Thank you to the legislators who made it happen!