League Leaders and Members:

What does May have in store for us in terms of national awareness building or celebration? As with all months, there are several worthy causes in May, but I thought I’d focus on our collective mental health, since May is Mental Health Awarness Month. In addition, we’re still not completely out of the woods, as they say, when it comes to COVID 19 and its implications for mental health.  This is also a topic of personal relevance.
 
While we still have much work to do, it’s a little easier to talk publicly about mental health -- and this is vital for our nation’s overall health and our own individual or family overall health. We all know that mental health issues can lead to substance abuse, homelessness, and increases in crime; the mental health of ourselves, our communities, and the nation is critical, now more than ever.
 
Increases in those suffering from mental health issues have exacerbated an already formidable problem.  United States adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and/or depression grew alarmingly from 11% in the six-month period of January-June 2019 (National Health Interview Survey) to 41% in January 2021 (Household Pulse).  Continued stigma and lack of access to care for financial reasons, often related to insurance coverage, prevent many from getting help. 

Combined with the significant increase in those seeking care, these barriers mean we currently face an epic mental health crisis. We find ourselves in a situation where many consumers are competing for the same limited pool of appointments unless insurers increase their provider lists.

In October 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 221 into law. It requires that mental health and substance abuse patients be provided a follow-up appointment within 10 days of their previous appointment, unless a provider approves less frequent visits. Insurance regulations already require that patients get an initial mental health visit no more than 10 days after they request it.

The new law, which takes effect in July, adds to the previous regulations, but it provides only nine months for health plans to hire or contract with more therapists, and this is another fly in the mental healthcare ointment.  Insurers claim there is a shortage of therapists, and therapists say that insurers aren’t paying them well enough for a therapist to join the insurer’s network.  Some of these therapists set their own fees, which many people cannot afford. Of course, it would seem that many of the insurers can absorb costs that an individual therapist might find challenging, given insurers’ continued soaring profits.  SB 221 is another great step in legislation regarding mental health services, and I’m truly hopeful that it makes a difference in making mental healthcare more available to all who need it.

Know that your own League’s Healthcare Group continues to work on supporting mental health needs, and that local Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (District 16) authored the bill implementing the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act in California (AB 988). The Act establishes a new 988 dialing code for mental health emergencies, which routes callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It will be available across the United States starting on July 16, 2022 (it’s already available in several states including California). Previously, the only emergency response choice for a mental health crisis was to call the police (911), with – unfortunately -- mixed results.  Do know that the current lifeline phone number (1-800-273-TALK) will remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.  

Because one in five adults suffers from mental illness (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the odds are that we all know someone who has mental illness issues or we ourselves face this challenge.  Some of you know firsthand that we all need to take care of each other, and ourselves, in kinder ways and avoid the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality that some continue to face today. Invite folks to join you in a group, a volunteering effort (the League has plenty) or just a walk. Listen. Learn. Lean in.

Cathleen Kirk