https://bush.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-bush-reintroduces-helping-families-heal-act
The United States is experiencing a severe mental health crisis. While this crisis is driven by a combination of factors, police violence has unquestionably worsened it.
Studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between police encounters and higher rates of post-traumatic stress symptoms, including self-harm and suicide. Around one-quarter of urban youth experience a direct police encounter by age 15, and more than half of those involve some form of aggression. The mothers of youth who are stopped by police are twice as likely as their counterparts to report worse sleep and health.
In Black communities, the mental health impact of police violence is staggering. Black people in America are killed by the police at three times the rate of their white counterparts, and research shows a correlation between police killings of unarmed Black people and a rise in depression-related E.R. visits among Black people. Police killings of unarmed Black people are responsible for more than 50 million additional days of negative mental health per year.
As tens of millions of Americans are struggling to find quality, affordable mental health care, there is a dire need for more resources to address the devastating consequences of police violence. That’s why I’m re-introducing the Helping Families Heal Act, first-of-its-kind legislation to expand mental health services for communities harmed by police violence. Specifically, this legislation would establish grant programs within the Department of Health and Human Services to expand communities’ ability to:
● Recruit, hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals and community health workers to provide comprehensive mental health services to individuals impacted by police violence, including students and school personnel; and
● Implement community-based mental health programs that build awareness, expand screening efforts, incorporate community interventions, and facilitate partnerships among families, students, and health care workers.
A comprehensive approach to combating our mental health crisis must address the lingering harm of police violence. Join me in supporting this vital legislation
Comments