Young Supports Needed Mental Healthcare Reforms for Iowa Families

Press Release

Iowa Congressman David Young released the following statement after voting in support of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R.2646), critical bipartisan legislation he cosponsored to reform our country's broken mental healthcare system. The legislation works to organize and simplify mental health programs across the federal government, encourage evidence-based care, address psychiatric hospital bed shortages, empower caregivers through Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy laws to help them access resources for their loved ones, and help patients get access to treatment without delay.

"I often hear from Iowa families, healthcare professionals, local law enforcement, and folks throughout our communities concerned about our country's mental healthcare system.

"This legislation addresses the major hurdles to care including psychiatric bed shortages and delayed or limited access to mental health treatment, while streamlining the federal government's overly bureaucratic approach to mental healthcare programs and providing Iowa families and caregivers access to resources they need.

"I'm encouraged my colleagues have come together to support and advance this important bipartisan legislation which brings focus back to mental healthcare priorities."

In 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified 112 federal programs supporting individuals with serious mental illness, but concluded it is "unlikely that agencies identified all programs for individuals with serious mental illness" because agencies did not always track whether those in most need were actually being served by the programs.

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