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LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Contact Your Representative to Encourage Co-sponsorship of H.R. 5078
On July 10, 2002, Representatives Patrick Kennedy
(D-RI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced legislation that is
critical to addressing the national shortage of child and adolescent
mental health providers. AMHCA strongly supports this much-needed
legislation.
The landmark Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General brought the
hidden mental health crisis to the attention of the U.S. public.
According to that report, 13.7 of the nation's children and adolescents,
one in five, have a diagnosable mental disorder, yet only one-third of
these children receive treatment. The dearth of appropriately trained
children's mental health professionals contributes to the number of
children who often are subject to long waiting lists prior to treatment.
The Children's Mental Health Service Expansion Act, H.R. 5078,
encourages individuals to enter children's mental health professions and
to assist graduate schools to improve their programs. H.R. 5078 will
accomplish this by creating education incentives, such as loan
forgiveness, scholarships, training grants and through grants to
graduate schools. Children's mental health professions, include licensed
professional counselors, child psychiatrists, child psychologists,
school psychologists and social workers, as well as psychiatric nurses
and other mental health professionals. The legislation also requires the
federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to study and
report to Congress on the distribution and the need of child mental
health service professionals.
What You Can Do
All AMHCA members and others interested in this issue are asked to
contact their representative and request co-sponsorship of H.R. 5078.
All representatives can be reached by calling 202-225-3121. When
connected to the office, ask for the health legislative assistant. A
sample message and letter is as follows:
"I am a licensed professional counselor or a licensed mental health
counselor from (your town), and I am calling to urge Representative
(name) to cosponsor the Child Mental Health Professional Expansion Act,
H.R. 5078, sponsored by Reps. Kennedy and Ros-Lehtinen. This legislation
will help children and their families gain access to treatment by
increasing the numbers of children's mental health professionals,
including licensed professional counselors. Please contact Mike Zamore
in Rep. Kennedy's office at 225-4991 to co-sponsor this important
legislation."
For further information on this or any other issue, please contact Beth
Powell, AMHCA's director of public policy and professional issues, at
800-326-2642, ext. 105, or by e-mail at bpowell@amhca.org.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
Sample Letter to Representatives Requesting Co-sponsorship of H.R. 5078
Date
The Honorable (Full name of Representative)
U. S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative (Last name):
I am writing to express my strong support for H.R. 5078, the Children's
Mental Health Professionals Expansions act, introduced by Reps. Patrick
Kennedy (D-RI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and to request your
co-sponsorship of this legislation. As a mental health counselor and a
constituent, I want to convey to you the importance of this legislation
to mental health counselors in our state.
Mental health counselors are professionals with a master's or doctoral
degree in counseling or related disciplines who provide services along a
continuum of care. Currently, 45 states and the District of Columbia
license or certify mental health counselors to independently provide
mental health services, including the diagnosis and treatment of mental
and emotional disorders. Mental health counselor's practice in a variety
of settings, including hospitals, managed care organizations, employee
assistance plans, agencies, and private practice.
The 1999 release of the landmark Surgeon General's Report on Mental
Health brought the crisis in mental health to the attention of the
nation. According to that report, 13.7 of the nation's children and
adolescents, one in five, have a diagnosable mental disorder, yet only
one-third of these children receive treatment. The dearth of
appropriately trained children's mental health professionals contributes
to the number of children who often are subject to long waiting lists
prior to treatment.
The Children's Mental Health Professionals
Expansion Act, H.R. 5078, aims to use educational incentives to
encourage individuals to enter children's mental health professions.
H.R. 5078 will accomplish this by creating educational incentives, such
as loan forgiveness, scholarships, training grants and through grants to
graduate schools. Children's mental health professions include licensed
professional counselors, child psychiatrists, child psychologists,
school psychologists and social workers, as well as psychiatric nurses
and other mental health professionals. The legislation also requires the
federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to study and
report to Congress on the distribution and the need of child mental
health service professionals.
Thank you for considering my views on his issue. If you need any
additional information concerning mental health counselors or about H.R.
5078, please feel free to contact Beth Powell, Director of Public Policy
and Professional Issues at the American Mental Health Counselors
Association (AMHCA) at 703-548-6002, ext. 105. I look forward to hearing
from you.
Sincerely,
Your name (and credentials)
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