Cuts willfurther strainmental health and substance use services across the country
, /PRNewswire/ — Late yesterday, hundreds of grantees received termination letters from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), cancellingcongressionally-appropriated grants that willnegativelyimpactthe availability ofcritically neededmental health and substance use serviceson whichmillions of Americans depend.Today, NAMI’s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., made the following statement:
“These cuts are disheartening and cruel,andtheythreatenthe life-saving work of hundreds of organizations that provide critical mental health supportacrossthe United States. Addressing our mental health and substance use crises in this country has never been political, which is why itcontinues to havebipartisan support in Congress.These abrupt and unjustified cutswillimmediatelydisrupt suicide prevention efforts,family and peer recovery support, overdose prevention and treatment,andmental health awareness and education programming,along withso many moreessentialservices,putting an unknown number of lives at stake. Thesearen’tjust numbers on paper. These are decisions thathave realand harmful consequences formillions of people and communities around the country.”
Early estimates suggest thatroughly $2 billionin grants wereterminatedovernight, despiteCongress makingmental health funding a bipartisan priority in recent years to address high rates of overdose, record suicides, and increasing mental health needs.Not only do the impacted programs save lives, but they enjoy broad support from the American public.
NAMI’srecent pollshowed that 83% of Americans support protecting federal funding to help people access mental health care– andnearly 3in 4 (73%) opposed cutting federal jobs and programs focused on mental health.
“At a time whenthe need has never been higher, cutting thesecongressional appropriatedgrantsis both short-sighted and dangerous,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI’s Chief Advocacy Officer.”Every dollar invested in mental health services saves lives, reduces strain on hospitals and law enforcement, and strengthens families and communities.Canceling these grants runs counter to Congress’ efforts to support people in their communities tohelp themlive healthy, fulfilling lives.When combined withupcoming Medicaid changes and other health care cuts, the impact will be devastating.Policymakers mustimmediatelyreverse this decision.”
NAMI urges advocates tocontact their members of Congressandaskthem to demand that the Administration reverse these terminations.
TheNational Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
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SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)