HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), co-authors of the Mental Health Reform Act and members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today recognized May as Mental Health Month:

Murphy said, “Whether it’s a family member, neighbor or close friend, every one of us knows someone who has been touched by mental illness. I’ve heard hundreds of heartbreaking stories from families across Connecticut struggling to get a loved one the help they need – every one of them unique, but somehow exactly the same. As we observe Mental Health Month, let’s reject the status quo of our failed mental health system and commit to helping the tens of millions of families across this country whose loved ones suffer without holistic, integrated treatment. I urge my colleagues to make fixing our mental health system a priority and pass true reform before we break for the summer.”

Cassidy said, “Our mental health system is broken—the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 begins to fix it. We have all seen a promising life destroyed by untreated mental illness. Destroying not just the person, but also their family. By focusing and making resources available for patients and families, we can help restore mental health to the emotionally broken. The time for mental health reform is now.”

In an effort to address America’s mental health crisis and ensure that individuals suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders receive the care they need, Murphy and Cassidy introduced the bipartisan Mental Health Reform Act, which will expand federal resources and improve coordination for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. After holding more than a dozen roundtables with mental health professionals, policy experts, consumers, and family members around Connecticut, Murphy and Cassidy introduced the bill with U.S. Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Their bill passed the Senate HELP Committee earlier this year and now awaits a vote on the Senate floor.