President Barack Obama: “The bipartisan passage of the 21st Century Cures Act is an example of the progress we can make when people from both parties work together to improve the health of our families, friends and neighbors…the Cures Act takes important steps to improve mental health, including building on the work of my Administration’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force.”

Mark Barden, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise who lost his first-grade son, Daniel Barden, at Sandy Hook Elementary School: “The passing of this bill is such a monumental success for us at Sandy Hook Promise and all of the mental health organizations that we partnered with who have worked tirelessly for nearly four years to pass mental health reform. I applaud the outstanding leadership of our Senators and Representatives, as this bill will help millions of people in need. This legislation begins to do the critical work of prioritizing early intervention and increasing access to mental health services and suicide prevention programs. And we are ready for the work ahead.”

American Psychiatric Association: “This long-awaited and much needed mental health reform will help to increase access to care and improve the quality of care for people with mental health and substance use disorders, especially for the 13 million Americans living with serious mental illness. The bill will toughen enforcement of existing parity laws, helping to ensure that mental health care services are covered just like other health care services.”

American Psychological Association: “This legislation will improve the lives and health of countless Americans. It will increase access to effective, evidence-based care, particularly for those with serious mental illness.”

National Alliance on Mental Illness: “This is a pivotal milestone on the road to mental health reform…By passing HR 34, the House and Senate have shown that they consider fixing our nation's broken mental health system to be a national priority.  We are grateful for their dedication to getting this important legislation passed.   This momentum must be sustained and strengthened as Congress moves forward."

Mental Health America: “Today, MHA and mental health advocates around the nation are celebrating the passage of the most comprehensive mental health systems reform legislation in more than fifty years. We applaud the bipartisan action of the Congress, the support of the President, and the commitment of our elected officials to improving mental health services and supports in our nation…For too long, our behavioral health policy has been mired in post-crisis, deep-end, stage four thinking. We have spent far too much time and far too many resources dealing with mental illnesses in courtrooms, jails, and prisons, maintaining a 21st century revolving door of routine hospitalization, frequent incarceration, and chronic homelessness…Now this will begin to change. As a result of this legislation, we are laying a new foundation for comprehensive mental health services and supports beginning when most mental illnesses begin – during childhood – and continuing through the life span.”

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: “We applaud Congress for passing the 21st Century Cures Act. This legislation is a great step in the right direction. Within the legislation there are many provisions that will bring critical resources to the fight to prevent suicide. The legislation includes $6.3 billion for new funding of medical research at NIH, as well appropriating $1 billion over two years in opioid addiction and treatment programs. In addition it will create a new position of Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, and reauthorizes key mental health and suicide prevention programs such as the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. On behalf of AFSP we'd like to thank Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA), Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) for their leadership in getting the bill passed.”

Eating Disorders Coalition: “Today is a historic day for the 30 million Americans experiencing an eating disorder in their lifetimes. For the first time in history, Congress passed legislation specifically designed to help people with eating disorders. The bill will reach President Barrack Obama's desk within the week and is expected to be signed into law given the President's recent support statement for the legislation.

American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: “We are pleased to see the U.S. Senate pass this important bill, which will help to fix a broken mental health care system. We urge President Obama to sign this bill into law so that millions of children and family members can begin to get the help that they so desperately need.”

National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems: “This is historic. In a divided Congress, mental health and substance use disorders stood out as bipartisan issues. Having both issues included – and passed – in the Cures Act shows the need for these services and confirms that addressing mental health and substance use disorders must be part of the solution to improving overall health. This broad legislation passed today looks to the future, and there is no future without attention to the tremendous impact of mental health and substance use disorders. These disorders affect millions of Americans of all ages, cost our economy billions of dollars in lives lost, lives interrupted, and lost productivity.”

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