Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, NDC Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02), Vice Chair for Outreach Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and the Health Care, Substance Use, and Mental Health Task Force, led by Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Vice Chairs Yadira Caraveo (CO-08) and Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), welcomed key stakeholders, including medical professionals and mental and behavioral health care experts, to a Mental Health Awareness Month roundtable.

At the roundtable, Members and guests discussed challenges and solutions to addressing the nation’s mental health crisis, with a focus on issues regarding substance use, youth and families, Veterans, and the mental health workforce.

Task Force Chair Terri Sewell issued the following statement on the event:

“New Dems are grateful to the experts who joined us for an important conversation about how Congress can pass legislation and work with the Biden Administration to better support Americans struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. 

“It’s critically important to our success as a society and nation that Congress address the challenges we discussed at yesterday’s roundtable, from increasing access to high quality mental health care and substance use treatments – particularly for Veterans and underserved communities – to expanding preventative services for young people, growing the mental health workforce, and combating the isolating effects of the pandemic.

“New Dems will continue to engage with experts and stakeholders to guide our work to advance commonsense mental health and substance use solutions in Congress and deliver for the American people.”

NDC Members were joined at the roundtable by guests representing the following organizations:

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
• NAACP Center for Health Equity
• SummitStone Health Partners; North Colorado Health Alliance
• National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD)
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition (VMHLC)
• National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (AACAP)
• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

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