Rosen, Sullivan Introduce Bipartisan FRONTIER Community Act, Legislation to Expand Access to Mental Health Telemedicine Services in Frontier States

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) announced their introduction of the FRONTIER Community Act, bipartisan legislation to expand access to mental health services through telehealth in frontier states, and make this change permanent. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska).

"The economic crisis and social isolation caused by COVID-19 is exacerbating our existing mental health crisis," said Senator Rosen. "I'm proud to introduce this important piece of bipartisan legislation to address the need for increased access to mental telehealth services in states like Nevada that have a significant number of frontier counties. I will continue working to ensure that hard-working families in every corner of Nevada have the resources they need to overcome this public health crisis."

"One of my core responsibilities as a U.S. senator is to fix arbitrary rules and regulations that simply don't work for Alaska," said Senator Sullivan. "One such regulation currently requires rural Americans to commute to an approved "originating site' to access the services of a mental telehealth provider. Given our state's unique geography, this site could be hundreds of miles and mountain ranges away from a patient's hometown. Sadly, some patients simply abandon their pursuit of wellness and healing in the face of this hurdle. I'm glad to introduce legislation with Senator Rosen to remove this obstacle to health and deliver mental telehealth services in the home for residents of frontier states where we find the greatest unmet need."

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